Red Riding
by chemicaljane
Summary: Bella lives in the woods with her oppressive father for company. Her entire existence is governed by the Rules. Safety is paramount when evil lurks in the most innocent of places.
1. Chapter 1

**NB: I do not own Twilight. This story is my own re-imagining of the Twilight story. I've tweaked the vampire mythology - if that's not your bag, please kindly choose another story to read. **

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>BELLA POV<strong>

My red cloak billowed out behind me like a ship's sails as I fought against the prevailing wind. My wicker basket contained the food I had bought from the local supermarket. There was nothing on my mind except for one thing. Getting home. I had to get home as quickly as possible. Charlie hated it when I dawdled. It made him even more reluctant to let me out of the house. If he had got his way he would have driven me to the supermarket and back but I wouldn't allow it.

"Dad, I want to walk." I had said in a stubborn voice.

"No. Bella. I won't have it. You know how dangerous it is out there. Do you want to be killed?" he replied angrily, making the vein in his forehead pop out like a worm writhing under his skin.

Not this again. Charlie and his endless talks on danger. I rolled my eyes. "No I don't want to be killed. And I don't want to die of boredom either but I will if you keep me cooped up in here." I said in an exasperated tone.

Charlie's expression intensified. "You will take this matter seriously, young lady. This isn't a joke."

"Dad, I do take it seriously," I said in a pleading tone. "But I want to feel the ground beneath my feet and I want breathe in the fresh air and stretch my legs."

"You take gym class at school, don't you? Isn't that enough exercise?" he argued.

"A smelly gym hall is not the same as being outdoors," I snapped angrily.

I wasn't going to let him win this argument. I had already sacrificed too much. I was going to fight for every little scrap of freedom I could get. I scowled at him with my arms crossed.

Charlie's face softened as he considered my stubborn stance. "Bella, I'm only considering your safety –"

"Well, can you please consider my sanity?"

He sighed and looked defeated. He knew he was going to lose this one. "Fine. You can go out. But only in the daytime and only for thirty minutes maximum."

"Thirty?" I spluttered. "That's like going out the door, walking for ten minutes then turning back home again. I want fifty."

"I say forty,"

"Forty-five?"

"It's a deal," he smiled, reaching out his hand to shake on it.

I uncrossed my arms and reached for his palm. "Thanks, dad," I grinned.

I shook his hand then let him return to his newspaper that he was reading at the kitchen table. I turned to run upstairs feeling elated with my hard fought victory.

"Oh, Bella?" he called out.

"Yes, dad?"

"The Rules still apply for going out," his voice rang out from the kitchen.

I stopped in my tracks and ground my teeth in frustration. Those godforsaken Rules. Ugh. "Okay, dad," I tried to say in a breezy tone with my teeth gritted together.

I hated The Rules more than anything. In my head 'The Rules' was a phrase with capitalized letters. They were specific and had to be obeyed as it if were law. Charlie would not let me out of the house at all if I didn't follow them.

The most important Rule of all was the cloak. I had to wear a red cloak at all times whenever I was out of the house. It was bright, pillar box red and the length of it almost touched the floor. I was allowed to button it up or wear it open. It had a hood which I wore whenever I was outside. The cloak was the bane of my existence. I was teased endlessly over it at school. I only had to walk through the hallway to hear someone snickering behind their hands or pointing and laughing at me.

It marked me out as a freak, not that a cloak was necessary for that. Everyone knew my face. They knew I was the daughter of the crazy police chief who had suffered a mental breakdown a few years before my mother Renee died.

It wasn't easy coming to live with Charlie when mom died but I never realised just how fraught it would be until he sat me down and explained to me exactly what his Rules were. There had been screaming matches over the cloak. Why did I have to wear it? Why did it have to be this garish red colour? Why couldn't I go to school and dress like normal kids my age?

Those were questions whirring in my head at the time but I had more pressing concerns that I couldn't bring up with Charlie. Like why was he so paranoid? Why was he going to such extreme lengths for my safety? Why was he caging me up like a bird that couldn't stretch her wings?

I couldn't talk to anyone about it. No one else had a dad like mine. I could still remember my first day at school. I naively thought I could blend in as just another anonymous face. Keep my head down and not be noticed. That seemed perfectly reasonable to me. I could throw my cloak into the passenger seat of my truck and walk around like a normal student.

I remembered walking into my first class, it was an English Literature lesson. I was walking towards an empty chair when I saw a girl with light blonde hair smiling at me. I smiled back at her, relieved to see a friendly face. Her smile twisted and became mangled as I saw the true intention behind her smile.

_Oh._ _She was laughing at me_.

My heart sank and I cursed myself for returning her smile. She must have thought I was some kind of village idiot.

The rumours had been flying thick and fast weeks before my arrival. There was talk that the CPS had investigated my father before he could take full custody of me. That was just one nasty rumour floating amongst the high school crowd but there were many others.

The spiteful, sneering creature that had laughed at me was called Lauren. If spreading malicious gossip was an Olympic sport, she would definitely have been gold medal winner. She had gone to great pains to inform everyone exactly who I was. Lauren's description made me sound like I was part of the Addams Family. I could handle her making me out to be an oddball but I hated to hear anyone talk badly about Charlie. He was my dad after all.

On that same day, I overheard my future nemesis, Lauren, talking loudly in the lunch cafeteria. "You'll never guess about her dad. He's never been the same. Not since…you know what," she said, tapping the side of her forehead ominously.

"What happened?" a girl asked, full of curiosity.

Lauren mouthed the word 'breakdown,' which made the girl nod in understanding. My lip curled up in disgust.

"He has all these weird theories and will tell them to anyone. He's a total basketcase, you know." she said in a snotty, superior voice. "Living in the woods because he prefers to be alone. Crazy old coot – I'm surprised they haven't sent him to the loony bin,"

It was like something had snapped inside of me. I couldn't remember what happened after that. I suppose you could say I saw red. Apparently, I had some kind of adrenaline rush and slapped Lauren squarely in the face which caused her to bleed profusely from her nose. I do remember the blood that splashed everywhere – the nauseous smell almost made me bring up my lunch.

I was hauled into the principal's office immediately and Charlie had to be called in. I was dry-mouthed with panic when I realised my cloak was still lying inside my truck. The principal wouldn't let me leave for even one moment despite my desperate pleas. He probably thought I would make a run for it. Which was probably true. I had broken the Rules on my first day and Charlie was going to be hopping mad when he found out.

When Charlie entered the room he coolly appraised my appearance which somehow made me feel worse. Charlie managed to convince the principal that my violent behaviour was out of character and assured him nothing like that would happen again. The principal was sympathetic – he had probably read my file and noted my recently deceased mother – and I was dismissed for the day and taken home with Charlie.

I hoped the cloak issue would be forgotten in the wake of my violent outburst but that was sadly wishful thinking on my part. When he got home he was apoplectic with rage. Worse than anything I'd ever seen. I was worried he would have a heart attack if he didn't calm down. From then on I kept my promise to wear the cloak at all times just like he said. The only exception being gym class. It's funny because it made me hate gym class a little less.

I was suspended for a week for my behaviour and anyone who might have been a potential friend was scared away by my crazy behaviour. "Like father, like daughter," I would hear in the corridor as I walked past.

I tried not to let it bother me or get me down. If I was in their shoes I might have acted in the same way. High school is brutal and self-preservation is the key to survival. It's a lesson for life really. The world is full of Laurens. It was up to me to dig deep and not let shitty people like that affect me.

This was my life so far. I checked my watch and saw I had eight minutes left. I couldn't run in this damn cloak and had to settle for walking briskly. The house was in a clearing in the woods. Charlie had built it after he had his breakdown. It had helped him to recover, gave him a sense of purpose. He wanted to be far away from everyone else. He didn't think it was _safe _to live near other people.

I say the word 'house' but it wasn't really a house. I refused to call it a cabin because it made me sound like some country livin' hick. I couldn't call it a cottage because it didn't seem pretty enough to be called a cottage. Perhaps with some vines growing on a trellis and nice flowers planted in the front it could earn the title 'cottage' but until then it had to settle for being called a 'house'. A very well built wooden house I must say, for a living space built deep in the woods. Charlie's friend Billy Black had called friends from his reservation to help dad build it.

Charlie's constant worry about safety didn't really make much sense to me but I didn't question it. He talked about 'safety' with a religious fervour that almost frightened me. I knew it had something to do with his breakdown but that was a topic that was off-limits, discussion-wise.

Not that I ever wanted to sit him down and discuss it. I couldn't even imagine how that conversation would start. "Hey, dad, remember the night you went crazy? That was some freaky shit, right?" The memory was uncomfortable for all concerned. I stayed with Charlie despite his strict and forbidding ways. He was all I had left after mom died and I loved him dearly.

The light was beginning to dim as I reached the edge of the woods. I always tripped over the tree roots and had to hold the folds of my cloak with one hand while clutching my basket with the other.

The darkness was creeping into the spaces between the tall trees which cast tall shadows along my path. I carefully trod over the sprawling roots of my favourite tree – which I called Old Timer because it looked so old – and knew it wouldn't be long until I was home.

The woods were quiet which didn't bother me usually but I didn't like the darkness. I glanced behind me quickly. I saw nothing but shadows and surrounding trees. My mind was playing tricks on me. I took another backwards glance. Everything was still except for the wind rustling the leaves. Is paranoia infectious? What was I expecting to see?

The house came into view and I sighed a breath of relief. I could feel that my heart had been hammering in my chest.

My hands were hot and clammy as I fumbled for my house key and strode through the door. I put down the basket and hung my cloak up.

_Like father, like daughter_, I thought to myself. I really am going crazy.


	2. Chapter 2

It was late afternoon and I was sat cooped up in my bedroom. It was an unusually warm day with bright rays of sunlight streaming in through my window but I wasn't enjoying it. It felt stuffy and cramped and hot. Why was I sitting here in my room suffering in silence when I could be taking a walk through my beloved woods? Well, the simple answer was that I didn't want to go anywhere. I refused to go anywhere. If Charlie was going to treat me like a child then I was going to act like one and make my point. I didn't want to play by his rules anymore.

So how did I get into this mess in the first place? Well, the answer was Mike Newton. The boy with pale blonde hair gelled into spikes – which made him look like a failed boy band auditionee – for some unfathomable reason, had decided to seek out my friendship. He had cornered me in the library one rainy morning. I was looking through the historical section searching for title on the French Revolution.

"Hey, Red," I heard a voice say breezily from behind me. I recognised Mike's voice instantly; we both attended the same biology class.

"Hi," I responded blandly.

I didn't have a name anymore. Hardly anyone spoke to me in school but if they did, they called me 'Red'. I can't remember who started it but I remember the tone of voice being obnoxious and leering. No one even wore red at school because it was associated with me. And no one wanted to be associated with a loser like me. The only exceptions being the football team and cheerleading squad who I think were all rather put out that I had made their signature colour so unpopular although it made me smile.

It stuck as a nickname and I didn't bother to correct anyone so I think people assumed that I wasn't insulted by it. And they were right because I wasn't insulted by a harmless word. It was the malicious intent behind the word that was the insult, not the word itself that bothered me. Only the teachers called me Bella.

"whatcha doin'?" he asked me, stepping closer towards me. His rucksack looked heavy and was slipping off his right shoulder which he kept tugging back on in a futile manner.

My mouth gaped open as I stared at him dumbly. Was this the same Mike that sat with Lauren and her coven everyday? The rules of high school were as rigid as Charlie's Rules. You don't talk to the freaks if you don't want your stock to plummet.

"We're both in the same biology class," he said by way of an introduction.

"Oh, yeah, I know you," I nodded. I didn't know whether to be suspicious but something about his babyish face suggested a warmth and kindness that I had never seen from Lauren. "I'm looking for books on the French Revolution for an essay I'm doing."

"Oh, cool. Viva la revolution." He said dramatically, in a bad French accent with one fist in the air, which made me grin. "Everything I know about the French Revolution, I learnt off a cover of a Coldplay CD. Which is to say, I haven't learnt much at all." he shrugged.

I laughed despite myself. Mike was funny. Mike and I were having a normal friendly conversation. Had I wandered into an alternate universe by mistake? I hadn't managed to sustain an amicable conversation since I began here a month ago.

"Oh well, you're missing out, Mike. There are riots and beheadings and everything. Even cake. Compelling stuff." I said jokingly. I bit my lip as I realised my endorsement of violence might sound a bit insensitive to Mike who was friends with Lauren, the girl whose nose I had made bleed.

He chuckled politely and then a silence descended between us. I felt embarrassed for saying something so crass and wanted the ground to swallow me up. I quickly returned to the bookshelf, drawing a lazy finger across the rows of books, pretending to search for a book title.

"Hey, did ya hear that Forks High is going to welcome two new students today?" he said in a cheery voice, trying to break the silence.

"Oh?" I replied casually, keeping my eyes on the dusty shelf.

"Yeah, didn't you hear about it?" he sounded amazed. "It's all everyone's been talking about these last couple of days."

I straightened myself up from peering at the bookshelf and gave him a reproachful look. It was a look that said 'hey, remember who you're talking to, dipshit'. Comprehension dawned on him as he remembered my loner status. He silently mouthed 'oh' then carried on talking in a breathless rush, presumably hoping to move the conversation on quickly from his faux pas. I felt glad I wasn't the only one who could be agonisingly awkward.

"So, anyway, it's some brother and sister pair joining our year. Their dad works at the hospital or something. That's what Lau – well, what I heard anyway."

I remembered that there had been a buzz as I walked through the school halls today and there had been excited chatter in all my classes the past couple of days. I didn't think anything of it at the time but it corresponded to Mike's news. Obviously, people were excited about the new arrivals. The new students were going to get a better reception than I had received as long as they didn't do anything to piss Lauren off. Like breathing. Or simply existing. I think that was the part where I had messed up. "Well, that's certainly exciting. And God knows we could do with some excitement around here," I glanced around the library which was empty apart from us, to emphasize my point.

He chuckled. "I wouldn't disagree with you."

The bell rang for the next period which annoyed me. I still hadn't found any books yet. I sighed and resolved to come back another time. We both walked out the library going in opposite directions. It might seem dumb to some people but I felt a sense of achievement in conversing with one of my peers. This boy, Mike had talked to me, not making fun of me or staring at me like I was an alien. He had treated me like a real human being. I didn't mind being a loner, it suited me in an odd way, but human interaction had been missing in my school life and I felt like breaking down and weeping for joy for this little crumb of a conversation. Maybe this was the start of something new? Were people deciding to not take Lauren's words as gospel? Was the tide of small-town gossip slowly being overturned?

It struck me as I had looked around that Mike and I had been alone in the library. That might have been the reason why he felt safe in talking to me. He wouldn't be made fun of for being seen with me. No one would taunt him for being seen with the 'freak' or getting 'red cooties'. My happiness burned out like a dying candle, my sense of achievement ebbing away. My reputation still preceded me. It was going to take more than one conversation with Mike Newton to set things right.

Now that I was paying attention to the noise around me I was starting to hear all kinds of new information. Like the fact that the new kids were called Alice and Edward. Apparently Alice was a great dancer and some of the cheerleaders wanted her to try out for the team. A girl in my trigonometry class was unimpressed by Edward because she said she smiled at Edward but he didn't return the smile. In fact, she thought he scowled at her. Her friend had to repeatedly reassure her that he didn't and if he did he probably didn't mean to. I liked the sound of this Edward chap already.

My brain was fried after class and I was glad it was lunchtime. I still hadn't seen these new students yet but my interest had been piqued. Who were these mysterious students? I was hoping I could finally spot them in the cafeteria. I grabbed my lunch hastily and took my seat in the far corner of the large hall. My gaze settled on a large gathering at Lauren's table. I thought I saw two new people at her table but my view was completely blocked by a flock of jocks who had seated themselves at a table between Lauren's table and mine. I couldn't see past the muscled arms and thick necks and I didn't want them to catch me staring in their direction, giving them the wrong idea. A few of those meatheads had a tendency to hoot and howl when I walked by the playing field. Another symptom of wearing my red cloak, I guess.

I wanted to stand up for a better view but decided against it on the basis that it would be pathetic and sad. I picked at my lunch as I read my library copy of Norwegian Wood, becoming so absorbed in the story of Toru Wanatabe that when I looked up again I found Lauren's table empty.

The hallway was fairly crowded as I made my way to my locker. Gaggles of girls are standing by the walls, giggling and tossing their hair. That's when I saw them. The girl came into view first, turning the corner and walking down the long corridor. I could see why the cheerleaders were so eager to have her on the squad. Her slender frame would be perfect for throwing in the air and her natural sense of grace could make even the cheesiest dance routine look like poetry in motion. She was cute as a button too. Spiky, short, jet black hair to match her wide eyes which were the colour of black ink.

She raised her hand to sweep back a strand of hair from her face and her wrist jangled loudly with a heavy looking bracelet that had little metal charms dangling from it. The charms made a tinkling sound as she flicked her wrist. The bracelet compimented her dark grey dress that she wore with black skinny jeans. She oozed the kind of confidence that typically came from rich kids. It was a quiet confidence that she would never doubt herself or feel threatened by anyone else. Free of insecurity. I could only dream what that felt like. I was living a sheltered existence that was governed by Charlie's paranoia. Meanwhile, this Alice girl was comfortable in her own skin. It was a stark contrast to the person following behind her.

I had never thought much of green eyes. They never look as distinctive as you would imagine them too. A green iris usually has flecks of brown muddying the colour, making them look rather bland and forgettable. But those green eyes… those eyes could stop you in your tracks. Even from a distance I could see the clarity of colour, like seeing straight through to the bottom of the ocean. I felt my jaw go slack but I couldn't do much about it. I was entranced.

_So this is Edward_, I thought to myself. Before I could form any coherent thoughts, he caught my stare and our eyes locked. My heart skipped a beat as I remembered the scowl he gave the girl from Trig. Would I warrant a scowl as well? His green eyes held mine for a brief moment – his expression giving away precisely nothing. Then, I noticed his gaze drop to my feet as he slowly appraised my appearance from head to toe. _How rude! _I thought angrily as his gaze swept over my entire body. _I was not a piece of meat to be gawped at! What century did this guy come from? _ I suddenly felt self-conscious and turned my face towards my locker so he wouldn't see me turn the colour of beetroot. I stuffed some books into my bag and pretended to arrange the contents of my locker. _Was he actually checking me out?_ His stare felt intrusive and unwanted. Was that how it felt like to be checked out? It had never happened to me before so I had no idea what was happening. I wanted to glance back at him to answer my question but I cringed as I heard Lauren's gloating voice calling out to the new pair.

I looked back and saw that Lauren had nestled herself between Alice and Edward, talking loudly and loving the attention of the passers by and groups of giggling girls in the hallway. I glanced at Edward but he wasn't looking at me anymore. Lauren was talking to him while staring at me though. Uh-oh. It looked like she was filling him in on me, no doubt telling him all the juicy details about the freak with the crazy, overbearing, police chief father. He was listening with no expression, ruffling his reddish-brown hair into a dishevelled mess. How arrogant of me to think he was checking me out. I chuckled at my own stupidity realising that he just taking in my bright red cloak. Of course, that would be the first thing to gain the attention of a newcomer. I stood out like a sore thumb so I couldn't judge him too harshly for noticing. Lauren would be eager to offer an explanation for such abnormal behaviour; she lived on gossip like it was air. _She was a stone-cold bitch_, I thought bitterly. I wondered if she would tell him about my violent outburst towards her. That was the best part for me although I guessed if she did tell him, she would add some embellishment to make it sound like I was completely deranged. _Run before she sucks your souls dry,_ I wanted to warn them.

The bell rang for next period which startled me. I slammed my locker shut and groaned inwardly as I realised I would have to walk past the newcomers and Lauren to head to my English Lit class. I tried to summon up a smidgen of courage and held my head high as I walked towards them. Only I couldn't get further than two steps. My left foot was dragging like it was stuck to the floor. Had Edward's stare hypnotised me into partial paralysis?

"Eeeeeeeew, that's nasty." said a girl to her friend as they walked past, staring at my foot. Her friend laughed behind her hand.

I turned around and saw a large, sticky blob of pink chewing gum strung out in a large arc from the floor to the sole of my shoe. Yuck. It must have been freshly chewed because I could still smell its mint flavour. I hobbled back to the original spot on the floor and dug out of my bag the laminated bookmark that had kept my place in Norwegian Wood. I used it to scrape the dirty piece of gum off my shoe and held it at arms length, trying not to gag.

Lauren sauntered past with a look of disdain on her face. "That's so gross," she commented to Alice who was following her in a dainty little dance. Like it was my fault some idiot had spat out their gum. An odd thing happened when Edward walked by. Instead of cutting a straight path past me, he made a point of diverting around me, walking as far away from me as possible. His avoidance of me made me feel like I was contaminated or something. _Now _that_ was rude_, I thought to myself. _What was his problem?_ The girl from Trig had got off easy compared to me. He may have scowled but at least he hadn't treated her like she was radioactive waste. Lauren's eyes flickered from him to me and then she smirked that cruel, twisted smile that reminded me of my first day here. I was consumed with the urge to make her nose bleed again. She found his reaction amusing as did a few other hallway witnesses I could hear snickering in the background.

I disposed of the offending piece of gum and then trudged glumly to my English lit class where I did not pay one iota of attention. Evidently, he had taken Lauren words to heart. His public display of avoidance had humiliated me. I could just imagine smug Lauren's face as she re-told the encounter to her gossipy friends. I wanted to put in my earbuds, turn up my MP3 player and just forget what happened but I couldn't. Well, not in the middle of class anyway.

Inside my head, I replayed the whole event in slow-motion, starting with those green eyes. I had to grudgingly admit that I enjoyed mentally rewinding to that green eyed stare. I was filled with self-loathing that I could even find this Edward person attractive seeing as he obviously didn't think much of me but I couldn't deny it. I was as intrigued by Edward's appearance as he was by mine (well, the cloak drew his attention, at least). His demeanour did not have his sister's quiet confidence. My impression of him was that he seemed entirely detached from his surroundings. His shoulders were hunched protectively like he didn't want anyone to touch him. Even when Lauren was talking animatedly to him and batting her eyelashes, he looked vaguely bored. He had his sister's elegance. His grey woollen coat looked as if it had seen a lot winters but had beautiful silver buttons. I wish I could have known the thoughts behind that blank expression when our eyes had met. He didn't seem vacant; he was hiding something.

The teacher interrupted my daydreaming by making me read the part of Hermia from A Midsummer Night's Dream. My startled rabbit expression when he called out: "Bella, could you read for us the part of Hermia?" didn't do much to create the impression of an enthusiastic, engaged student. I wasn't really much of a class participant anyway.

I perked up when I heard Eric declare that "'_Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind' _".

Sometimes you have to hear words being spoken aloud for their true meaning to sink in and while Eric was no Laurence Olivier, he had made me ponder the meaning of Shakespeare's words. Shakespeare was basically saying that love is blind and that it is a person's mind that you fall in love with. I could understand his sentiment but I couldn't agree with it. I had been dazzled by a pair of green eyes. Was I being shallow? I thought back to the way he had looked me up and down and the way he avoided walking near me as if he had some physical aversion to me. I concluded that I was indeed being shallow. I refused to be allured by a pair of green eyes. And wild hair. And perfect skin. And shiny silver coat buttons. I let out a dreamy sigh and had to dig my fingernails into the palm of my hand as punishment.

The events leading up to my current predicament started when Charlie was called into school while I was in English lit class. Apparently, the janitor had smelt something funky and possibly illegal outside the boys' bathroom. A senior boy had been reprimanded and an unknown quantity of marijuana was confiscated from his locker. There were accusations of drug dealing going on and Charlie was called in. When the bell rang for the end of school I had headed out the parking lot to my truck. Mike had spotted me and left his small group of friends to come and talk to me.

"Hey, Red," he called out to me before I got in my truck.

"Oh, Mike, hi," I replied, shyly.

"So, did ya catch sight of the newbies? Eric wants them as a feature in the school newspaper." He said, genially.

I wasn't sure why Mike was striking up a conversation with me in the parking lot, in full view of actual students and his group of friends who were watching us with wide-eyed curiosity but I tried to be polite about it.

"Oh, yeah, those… newbies. Yep, they seem, like – well, they don't seem like they fit in here." I chuckled.

He seemed surprised but relieved by my response. "Thank you! That's what I've thinking too. I'm glad to hear someone say it –"

"Oh, don't get me wrong. They seem like nice people but I doubt they've lived in a small town like Forks before." I said, thinking of Alice's fashionable attire.

"Yeah, just like you." Mike bit his lip nervously as he noticed that his comment had caught me unawares. I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. I was nothing like Alice. "Before you came to Forks to live with your dad?" he said, looking at me expectantly to validate his statement.

"Oh," comprehension dawned on me as I realised he was referring to the outsider status that I shared with these new students. "Phoenix." I murmured. "That's where I lived before Renée – when I lived with my mother before she passed away."

It was Mike's turn to caught off guard as he exclaimed "Oh!" before quickly composing himself and saying something I had heard a thousand times before "I'm so sorry to hear that."

Why was this news to Mike? I thought everyone knew everything about me and my family in this town? Perhaps they didn't know as much I assumed they did. This cheered me up for some reason.

"Thanks, Mike," I answered with a smile, showing him I was okay and not about to burst into tears.

"If you ever need anything… just let me know." he said, kindly.

My gaze wandered to Mike's group of friends where Lauren had joined them and who was looking at me with face like thunder. If her eyes were capable of emitting laser beams I'd have been reduced to a smoking pile of ashes by now.

"Well, I have to go now, see ya around, Mike," I said hurriedly, opening my truck door and climbing in.

"Yeah, see ya, Red," he said, waving at me as I threw the truck into reverse.

I saw in rear view window as Mike walked back to his group, Lauren's expression was still livid. I felt sorry for him; it seemed like he was about to get chewed out for breaking Lauren's strict social code. I quickly reversed out of my parking spot and drove out when I noticed Charlie. He was standing with another officer and a teacher who were chatting. He looked different when he was in uniform; he was professional and serious, even slightly intimidating. He was unmistakably staring in my direction and I had a bad feeling he had witnessed my conversation with Mike. When I got home I got the confirmation I had been waiting for.

He had started off the conversation casually as I sat at the kitchen table doing my homework.

"Nice day at school, honey?" he asked.

"Yup," I said, not meeting his eyes as I stared at my notepad.

"Make any friends today?" he asked, a little too innocently.

_Oh shit. He definitely saw me talking to Mike, _I thought to myself.

The boys in our town were often referred to by Charlie as 'yahoos' and I doubted any of them would meet Charlie's strict standards when it came to courting me. Not that I was in any danger of dating Mike. Perish the thought. But even if I had wanted to, The Rules would have come into full force. Dating was not a part of the Rules. He thought it compromised my safety. He also thought a red cloak was going to save me from mortal danger. Remind me again, why did I have the most difficult dad in the world?

"I met a boy called Mike today," I said in an uncaring voice.

"Oh," was all he replied.

"Yeah, he seemed nice." I added.

Charlie grabbed a tumbler by the sink and turned on the faucet. His hand shook slightly. "Do I know this Mike?" he asked.

"Yeah, his parents own that outdoor goods store. You know the one. Newton's."

He sipped his water as he leaned against the counter. "Oh, I know it." He took a long pause before speaking again. "Bella, you remember what I said? It's nice to have friends but the boys around here…" he struggled for the right words. "You're a smart girl and these yahoos will take any opportunity to… well, you know."

I turned to face him. "Dad, they are boys. Ordinary teenage boys. What's to be so scared of? They're not monsters." I scoffed.

"That's what you think," he muttered before finishing his water and setting the glass on the sink counter.

"My life is going to suck from now until graduation isn't it?"

He laughed. "Don't be so dramatic, Bells, it doesn't suit you."

I felt like screaming. My social life had gone down the pan since I had moved here and Charlie thought it was hilarious. The no-dating thing was a no-brainer. No one would be seen dead with me anyway. But I at least wanted some friends. In fact just one friend would be enough. One friend would be more than I had currently.

"God, this is so unfair." I said, crossly.

"Spoken like a true teenager."

"I am a teenager." I deadpanned.

"I had noticed."

"Can't I even be friends with a boy? A minute ago you said I was smart. Can't you trust me to know the difference between someone who's genuine and some yahoo?"

"Honey, you're so young. There's a lot you don't know about the world."

"Yes, Charlie. You're right. I don't know anything about the world because you won't let me experience any of it!" I protested. "How am I going to learn if you won't let me?"

"I just want to protect you." he said, gruffly. "And you will obey me, Bella."

"Fine. Lock me inside my room and keep me safe from the big bad world. You've made my life worthless anyway!" I retorted and watched his face crumple.

I stormed upstairs to my bedroom and threw myself onto my bed, angry, hot tears flowing down my cheeks. I felt bad for what I had said but it was true. I didn't even care about Mike, particularly, but it was the principle of it. I wanted friends and a normal life. No cloaks or curfews, I wanted a life of my own.

I lay on my bed, feeling exhausted and confused. Why did Charlie see monsters in the shadows where I only saw darkness? If I could only figure out what Charlie was so afraid of maybe I could make him understand that I knew how to protect myself from whatever was out there. I rolled onto my side and rested my hand on my pillow, staring at the red marks on my palm where I had dug my nails in. An image floated in my mind like oil separating from water. A pair of green eyes. I inwardly cursed myself as tears rolled down my cheeks again. There was no such thing as _normal_ in my life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy Friday everyone! **

**Thank you for the reviews so far. To quote Rachel from Glee "I'm like Tinkerbell. I need applause to live!" so keep them coming.**

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><p>A frosty silence had descended upon our wooden house. I was still embarrassed about my emotional outburst at Charlie the other day when he had caught me talking to mike but I couldn't bring myself to apologise. I did <em>not<em> think I was in the wrong. I just wish I had articulated myself a bit better instead having what I considered to be a 'girlie fit'. I knew Charlie respected me when I acted level-headed and mature; it was the Bella that he recognised, not the girl who stormed up stairs and slammed doors.

I was cordial with Charlie at meal times and when I left for school but I never spoke one word more than necessary. Our conversations were measured and cool. I didn't know what Charlie made of it but he never mentioned Mike Newtown again.

The weather had turned cold which perfectly matched the chilly indoor atmosphere.

I had been worried about what Lauren would do to Mike when he waved me goodbye but he never told me exactly what happened. Something obviously had happened though because he only spoke to me in hushed tones in the safe, secluded confines of the library. He filled me in on the '_Cullens'- _a word he said through gritted teeth like it was caused him physical pain – they had moved from Alaska with their father who worked in the local hospital. They were both adopted as teenagers which made me think their adoptive father must be a kind man. Mike seemed rather annoyed with how taken Lauren was with Edward. Lauren now spent a significant amount of time in the girls' bathroom fixing her make up, wearing revealing clothes that did not suit the weather and chatting about Edward. Mike was particularly unamused because he suspected his friend Jessica also had a thing for the Cullen boy. I felt like explaining to Mike that most girls had perked up since Edward's arrival and you only had to look at him to understand why but I think that would have riled him up even more.

Mike said that whenever Edward and Alice sat with them at lunch break, only Alice would join in the conversation, while Edward remained sullen and quiet. I imagined this made Edward seem even more mysterious and thrilling to the girls around him. Mike liked Alice's friendliness. He liked the fact that she made an effort while Edward brooded. Maybe, she had to be the friendly one to make up for her brother.

School life went on as usual. Edward never looked at me again. I didn't experience the thrill of his stare or the humiliation of his walking around me like I was diseased. I wasn't sure whether to feel disappointed or happy or about that. Although, it didn't stop me from stealing a glance at him every now and then.

I enjoyed my chats with Mike. I listened to his little rants about how Edward only replied monosyllabically to every question and how Mike thought he was unbearably boring. I also made another friend through Mike. I knew Angela because we were in a few of the same classes but we had never spoken before. That changed the day she ambushed me in the library (Mike must have told her where to find me).

Angela was a quiet girl, almost meek, but she seemed excited to speak to me for some unknown reason. I think Mike must have said nice things about me. I was surprised to find that we had a lot in common. Her parents were fairly strict and expected her maintain her good grades so she spent a lot of her free time studying. She didn't seem to mind though. Her goal was to get into a good college and was determined to work hard for it. I admired her work ethic and felt an affinity with her for having to deal with a strict parent.

We both liked books too. We shared recommendations and reviews. She even made us both matching bookmarks that were cross-stitched embroidered pieces of material with pink and purple flowers. Angela and I met in the library in our free periods and talked and studied together. She would smile and nod at me when we passed each other in the corridors. She seemed more willing to acknowledge my presence publicly than Mike, but I figured it was more complicated for him.

His friendship only stretched so far as I discovered when we were all in the library one day. I was quietly studying, flipping through my biology textbook when Angela spoke up.

"That's it. I'm fed up of writing about the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet." She huffed, throwing her pen down in frustration.

"What's up?" I asked, sympathetically.

"It's just so…"she paused to think of an apt description. "Tragic." She laughed.

"Yeah, I think that's the point." I replied, with a smile. "It wouldn't be Romeo and Juliet if it wasn't a sad ending."

"Yeah, I guess. I just feel like my head is caving in." she sighed. "I need to distract myself with some algebra homework."

"Ooh, you really know how to treat yourself, Angie," teased Mike, from the other side of table.

She reached for a pile of books and pulled out a slim textbook. "What can I say? Algebra homework just does it for me," she said, biting her lip and batting her lashes, using the book to fan herself.

"Really? I'll have to tell that to Ben," replied Mike, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh shut your piehole, Mike. You will do no such thing if you value your life at all." Angela blushed furiously, taking a swipe at Mike with her book.

Mike leaned back and laughed when she failed to land a hit.

"Help me, Red!" she pleaded, laughing.

I picked up my heavy biology textbook and reached across to clunk Mike on the head with it.

"Ooooooooow!" he exclaimed loudly, rubbing his forehead.

"Nice one," said Angela, approvingly. We celebrated with a high-five which made us both giggle uncontrollably.

"I suppose I'm another casualty of Red's violent outbursts," mumbled Mike sourly.

"Hey, I didn't even hit you that hard –" I began before Angela interrupted me.

"Uh-oh, look busy," said Angela suddenly, looking down at her work.

I could hear the hurried footsteps of the librarian as she shushed us into meek silence. We studied quietly for the rest of our free period until the bell rang. We packed up our things and headed out the door.

I turned to Mike. "You don't really think of me as violent, do you?" I asked in a small voice. The idea that Mike thought of me as violent made me feel sad. I thought he knew me better.

Mike whispered to me, "Well, you do have a mean right hook. No, really, I'm kidding. We were just goofing around, right?"

"Yeah," I said, thoughtfully, making a mental note to myself not to hit Mike for at least three weeks, just to be on the safe side. All those small impressions can start to add up if you're not careful.

Angela was walking in front of us but turned back to speak to me. "Why don't you sit with us at lunch?"

I stared at her, not knowing what to say. Me? Sit in the same group as Lauren? She would vaporise me with that stare of hers in a hot minute. "It'll be fun." she added encouragingly, as I gaped at her. "Won't it, Mike?" She looked to him for support but he avoided her gaze, preferring instead to look down at his shoes.

After an awkward pause, I said: "I don't think that would be a good idea, Angie. Lauren doesn't like me much."

"She just doesn't know you like we do."

"She badmouthed my dad. I punched her in the face. I'm trying to be polite when I say she doesn't like me. She hates my guts and the feeling is mutual." I said, sternly.

"Well, we can sit with you today. Can't we, Mike?" she nudged him when she realised he still staring at his feet.

"I – I – have to meet with Tyler. We have to… discuss some… stuff, y'know. Football stuff… big game coming up." he hurried away from us without a second glance.

"Chicken," Angela called after him but he was out of earshot.

She turned back to me with a hopeful look but my mind was made up. I was not going to involve people in my life when they risked the wrath of Lauren and being made fun of by other students.

"Don't worry about me, Ange. I don't want you to have to choose between me and Lauren. I'll be fine." I reassured her.

"Well, okay, if that's what you want." She said, with disappointment.

"You want to come round to my house, sometime?" I asked, clumsily trying to change the subject. "Charlie would be happy to meet one of my friends."

"Yeah, I'd enjoy that." she said, visibly brightening up the prospect.

We went our separate ways as we reached the cafeteria but I was glad we parted on good terms. Lauren and I being within spitting distance of each other was clearly an obstacle to my acceptance to their group. I didn't want to have to bust her nose each time she made a snide comment about me. It was safer for everyone if I just stayed away from them. I pulled my cloak closer around me before picking up a lunch tray.

I sat down at an empty table and bit into an apple which sprayed its juice along my chin. I wiped it off with the back of my hand and spied Angela from across the cafeteria hall. She was with her usual group with Edward glumly sat next to Lauren. Lauren chatted to him enthusiastically, blissfully unaware that Edward was looking bored rigid. Was she blind not to notice that? Angela caught me looking in her direction and discreetly waved at me. I nodded once in acknowledgement which she must have interpreted wrongly because she patted the empty seat beside me, beckoning me over with a nod of her head and a smile.

I desperately hoped Lauren wouldn't notice but it was too late. She was glaring in my direction which made me quickly cast my eyes down. I looked up when I thought the coast was clear and I glanced at them once again. Lauren and Angela seemed to be hotly discussing something which I could only guess was me. It was drawing the attention of everyone around them. Even Edward had awoken from his usual stupor to look vaguely interested in what was going on around him. My intentions not to cause trouble had been well and truly scuppered. I watched Angela gesticulating with her arms while Lauren sat with tightly folded arms across her chest. Whatever Angela was saying was not convincing Lauren in the slightest. I left the cafeteria early, hoping my absence might prove the saying 'out of sight, out of mind' correct.

I didn't see either Angela or Mike for the rest of the day which left me wondering how it went with Lauren. I walked to my truck feeling guilty and confused; I didn't want Angela to have to defend me or our friendship. I'd much rather she pretend she didn't know me because at least I wouldn't be dragging her down to my social status. I knew that if Angela admitted to being my friend then Lauren would turn on her like a shark. I was plankton and I didn't want Angela to join my lowly ranks. I chewed over with the dilemma of keeping my friend out of harm's way on my drive home.

When I got home I felt restless and set about making dinner after finishing my homework. I wanted something that tasted like the comfort of home. I decided on spaghetti Bolognese because I used to make it all the time in phoenix. It wasn't long before the smell of tomatoes and basil threw me back in time to when Renee would chatter away in the kitchen, talking about whatever obsession or fad she was currently enthused about. My mother was quite impulsive, although she would prefer to say passionate about all sorts of things. Whether it was exercise or cooking lessons or knitting with her '_stitch and bitch'_ club, she just wanted to experience everything and live life to the fullest. Thinking about her sometimes felt like a punch to the guts and I would have to sit down and until the waves of grief crashed over me. I had promised myself to make the best of things now I was with Charlie. If only I could stop getting into arguments about my safety, things would be fine.

I looked towards the hall as I heard Charlie come through the front door. He walked into the kitchen as he spoke.

"Hello, Bella." he said, gruffly.

"Hi, dad," I replied, stiffly.

Our frosty atmosphere had not yet dissipated. I went back to stirring to the bolognaise sauce which bubbled invitingly on the stove.

"Whatcha cooking?" he asked.

"Spaghetti." I kept my eyes on the stove.

He nodded thoughtfully. "Sure smells nice, Bells."

"It should be ready in about twenty minutes." I told him.

"Great."

Charlie left me alone to continue my cooking and reappeared only when I called him. We ate our dinner in near silence, the only sounds being the slurping of spaghetti which we both ate rather messily. I couldn't help but smile when Charlie splattered tomato sauce down his shirt.

"Dang it." he said, irritatedly, trying to brush the stains off with a napkin.

"Put it in the laundry basket." I suggested.

"thanks." He replied.

The frostiness seemed to thaw a little with our genial exchange. I hoped we could forget what happened and move on. The strained atmosphere was starting to take its toll. I think Charlie sensed my feelings because he lingered in the kitchen after the meal was over to chat while I washed the dishes.

He opened a can of beer which hissed as he tugged back the ring pull. He took a sip before speaking. "Bella, I think I've been a bit harsh on you lately."

_You think? _

"And I've been giving it a bit of thought. I don't want you to be lonely –"

"Dad, I'm not –" I felt peeved that he used such a word as _lonely_. It made me sound like, like… a loser, which I was most definitely not. Oh, who I am kidding? I was a friendless loser and he knew it. I mean, what teenager spends their Friday evening washing dishes?

"Honey, I want you to make friends. I know I can be a bit intense about boys but I don't like the idea of those yahoos sniffing around my baby girl." He wrinkled his nose at the thought. "But you're mature and well-adjusted for your age and I think I should give you credit for that."

"Gee, well, thanks." I said, feeling overwhelmed. The Swan family was not accustomed to heart-to-heart conversations.

He took another sip of beer. "I was talking to Billy from La Push – did you know he has a son about your age?"

"Um, are you talking about Jacob?" I asked, remembering my summer visits from when I was a kid.

"Hey, you remember. How about that?" Charlie seemed to stumble on his words a little. "Yeah, so he's a good kid, just a year younger than you, Bells. He goes to the school on the rez. He's a good kid."

"You already said that." I said, placing clean, wet plates on the rack.

"Did I? Oh. Well, I invited them both to our house and they're coming over tomorrow."

The froth from the soapy water formed into tiny soap bubbles that floated into the air. It took me a minute to figure out why Charlie was keen to promote this 'good kid' as a potential friend. The bubbles popped before my eyes.

"So is this my Mike replacement?" I looked at him accusingly. "Someone whose background you are thoroughly familiar with and whose address you know by heart in case he tries any funny business?"

"Well, he is a good kid, Bells. Billy has raised him right."

I could barely remember this Jacob boy but I was starting to resent him immensely. I didn't want company forced on me. And I could bet he probably wasn't jumping through hoops to get to know me either.

"Will you stop saying he's a good kid, Charlie? I heard you the _first_ time." I said through gritted teeth, trying to keep my composure.

"Okay, okay." He laughed, completely oblivious to my irritation. "He's been really keen to meet you."

"That'll soon change." I muttered, as Charlie contently wandered into the living room.

I got up early to sweep and clean the house while Charlie chopped up firewood outside. I was house-proud, damn it, and I wanted our home to look nice. I put fresh wild flowers and a patterned cloth on the kitchen table, dusted and vacuumed the living room, swept the hallway floor and plumped the sofa cushions. I always found cleaning to be therapeutic, I even _enjoyed_ it. I wasn't sure why but I liked seeing the difference I could make with a bit of elbow grease.

Charlie wanted to watch some big game on TV with Billy so I laid out small bowls of chips and various dips. I felt nervous to be having company over. I wasn't particularly excited the company but just having _people_ over was something new. Charlie kept to himself mostly and we rarely had visitors. I don't think anyone really wanted to get to know us in the first place. Charlie tended to scare people away. _Like father, like daughter_, I suppose.

With all preparations made, I had a shower and dressed in my favourite pair of blue jeans and a peasant blouse with pink embroidery on the front. Charlie was downstairs, presumably eating his way through the bowls of tortilla chips before they arrived. Tortilla chips were Charlie's weakness.

I heard a knock on the door followed by Charlie's sturdy footsteps as he went to greet them.

"Honey, it's show time. You better come down here. " Charlie called from the bottom of the stairs.

I glanced at my reflection in the mirror and groaned. My outfit looked presentable but I hadn't managed to work a brush through the snarls so my hair resembled something like a haystack. I tried to smooth it down so that my hair looked like a flattened haystack, and nervously headed downstairs.

The first thing I noticed as I came down was the beaming face of Billy Black. He had slightly greying hair and crinkles around his eyes but his expression was warm and full of geniality.

"Hello Bella, my how you've grown!" he said, with twinkling eyes.

I blushed with embarrassment, feeling like the small child he remembered all those years ago.

"I still remember when you were knee high to grasshopper. All that sunshine in Phoenix must've done her some good, eh, Charlie?"

"I'm sure Forks will suit her just fine too," Charlie said sombrely. "And what have you been feeding Jacob? The boy's as tall as a sunflower."

"About as skinny as one too, I reckon," chuckled Billy.

"Am not," Jacob rolled his eyes, from behind Billy. He looked weary, as if Billy had cracked that joke a million times before. I was struck by his youthful face; he had the same warm look as Billy, but unlike his father, the features upon his russet coloured skin were smooth and unlined. Annoyingly, his shiny, long, black hair looked better than mine. Dang it.

Charlie ushered us all into the living room only to shoo us kids away.

"Hey Bella, take Jake for a walk." Charlie suggested. "She loves being outdoors in the woods. Goes out everyday when she can." he explained to Billy. "Not for too long, mind. You never know what's out there."

Billy nodded sagely. "She'll be safe with Jake."

That's true," Charlie agreed.

I had to bite my tongue from groaning out loud. Billy obviously shared the same outdated opinions as Charlie. I did _not_ need to be protected like I was some vulnerable damsel in distress from a silent movie. Why did no one understand that?

I stalked out the room and let Jacob trail behind me like a scolded puppy dog.

I reached for the keys as Charlie called out "don't forget your cloak, honey."

"Yessss, dad." I tried to sound pleasant but ended up hissing at him like an angry cobra.

Jacob smirked at me but he quickly stopped when I frowned at him.

I opened the front door and instantly felt better stepping into the crisp cold air. The sky above the pine trees was light grey, which for Forks counted as a sunny day. I turned back to look at Jacob. I had no idea what to do this boy. I was reluctant to take him to my favourite part of the woods. It felt too personal to be shared with someone I wasn't even keen on being friends with in the first place. I settled on the stream that ran through the woods. It wasn't too far and we wouldn't get lost in the middle of nowhere.

"Do you know this area well?" I asked him.

"Kinda. I got to know the area when we came to help Charlie build the house."

_Oh, right. I didn't realise he had pitched in to help. _

Suddenly Jacob didn't appear to be such an unwanted presence. It dawned on me that I was looking at the person who would have been around Charlie during the dark days of his mental breakdown. My heart began to race at the possibility of finding out new information. If I could understand what happened to Charlie, it could be my ticket to possibly changing The Rules that blighted my life.

Would Jacob be willing to tell me everything I needed to know? I would have to play this carefully. Be resourceful. He had been looking forward to seeing me, hadn't he? I had better make it worth it.

"Well, I'm still getting to grips with my bearings," I explained with a coquettish smile. "There's a stream nearby that's really pretty. Do you want to see it?"

"Yeah, sure." He answered with a shy smile of his own.

We headed in a northern direction, a route I had taken many times by myself, with Jacob and I chatting along the way. He told about his relationship with Billy. I almost turned bright green with envy when I heard how laidback and relaxed Billy seemed to be in comparison to Charlie. Billy obviously wasn't worried about Jacob in the same way Charlie worried over me. Was it because I'm a girl? If I was a boy would Charlie still be so insistent on my safety? I mulled over my questions while Jacob talked about the mechanics of his car.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when my cloak snagged on some thorny brambles, abruptly halting my journey. I carefully unpicked it from the tiny spikes that had caught it.

"Wearing this thing is such a pain," I huffed, as I examined my cloak more closely. "Can we swap dads for a while? I promise Charlie wouldn't be a pain. All you have to do is cook a meal one in a while."

Jacob chuckled. "I'm kind of hopeless in the kitchen."

I stood up and we carried on walking along our path. "That's no problem, I can teach you. And reading a cookbook isn't that much different from reading a car manual."

"I never read the manuals."

"Oh, you're such a spoilsport!" I laughed.

He grinned. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Okay, I can learn to cook. But if you stayed with Billy I think he'd probably be just as strict."

"Why? It's because I'm girl, isn't it? We need to introduce our dads to twenty first century living because they obviously haven't been clued in yet." I said, jokingly.

I looked around as the pine trees thinned out and heard the babbling of the stream. I sped up my pace and finally reached the edge of the rather small stream that cut a path through the woods. I accidentally trod on a wild flower which crushed into the ground. The stream didn't seem as grand or beautiful as I had imagined it to be. It was just another place in the middle of nowhere. We both stood there awkwardly, Jacob with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"I should have taken you to the river."

"No, it's fine, really." Jacob bent down and delicately plucked another wild flower from the nearby patch. "Here," he handed it to me. "A token of my gratitude."

I took the flower from him and smiled. "Such a gentleman!"

Jacob looked away and I was sure I saw his cheeks blush beetroot red. I felt a bit shameless about my flirting but not enough to stop just yet.

"Soooo… how often did you come down to help out Charlie with the house building?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I drove dad down as often as I could but with school and all, I couldn't help out as much as the others… but I wanted to! Dad drew the line at skipping school though so the older guys like Sam came." He said, with disappointment.

"Well, I'm glad anyone came at all. I'd be living in a tin shack otherwise." I joked.

Jacob chuckled. "You know, it was my dad who chose this location for the house."

"Really? What made him choose this particular spot?"

"Well, it wasn't a snap decision. Dad actually consulted the rest of the elders on Charlie's behalf. You know, all that tradition and hocus pocus." He waved his hand dismissively, as if he didn't think much of this. "They all decided this was the safest place. Something to do with the woods – I think they believe it has a protective quality about it – or maybe it was a quiet location where Charlie wouldn't get bothered. The building was fun though. We all competed to see how fast we could hammer in the nails. Quill hit his thumb and yelled so loud he scared the birds out the trees." Jacob chuckled at the memory.

I laughed along with Jake but I was rather struck by what he had said about the woods having a 'protective quality'. Jacob may have been dismissive about his elders but I think they were onto something. I enjoyed the walking through the woods, I loved the old gnarled roots of the ancient trees, the evergreen pine trees, the fresh earthy smell after it had just rained, the many shades of green that made the surroundings feel alive rather than the baked heat of Phoenix where only the cacti was strong enough to grow. Even the bare branches of trees that had shed its leaves in winter had an odd beauty to it. There was a timelessness to its magic.

"I never visited Charlie during _that_ time," I said, bashfully. "What was he like then?"

Jacob's warm smile faded slightly. "Oh, you know, he was okay. He talked to my dad a lot. They were usually found in a corner huddled over the plans, figuring stuff out."

"So he seemed… okay?" I asked, tentatively.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"You're not hiding anything from me, are you? Like, for my benefit?"

"No, really. I didn't spent much time with him but my dad said that he was getting better. I think the house project helped him to recover. Gave him something to channel his energies into, you know?"

Even as a broken man, Charlie sounded like he had a quiet inner strength to him. I admired that. Jacob sensed that his words were a comfort and continued. "The house made him feel safe. Plus we made sure that we invited him over to our place to socialise. Dad didn't want him to turn into a hermit."

"I'm glad Charlie had a support network like your dad to turn to." I said, feeling evermore guilty that I had never visited him during this turbulent time. Why did Renée never tell me any of this? Did she think I wouldn't care? For the first time in a long while I felt angry towards Renée. "I wish I could've been there for him. I don't know what I would have done. A hug, maybe? Does that cure a nervous breakdown?" I asked, with a sense of helplessness.

"You're here now, Bella. Don't beat yourself up about it." Jacob reassured me. "He was well taken care of."

"But don't you see? It was from that point that his thoughts began to fester. Why won't Charlie let me out the house whenever I want? Why do I have to wear red cloak all the time? Why is he so damn fearful of everything?"

I threw my hands up in frustration, not expecting an answer.

"If I tell you will you promise not to tell anyone?" he asked quietly, surveying me with his dark brown eyes. He was stood quite still; his body seemed tense like an animal that had been spotted by its prey. Alert. Waiting for my response.

"I promise. Cross my heart," I signed a cross over my heart with my finger. "And hope to die."

"I don't know if I should be the one telling you this…" he said, suddenly looking uncertain.

"Jake, don't do this to me. I'll find out one way or another and I'd rather hear it from you."

"Fine. Let's take a walk," he looked around. "This is gonna take a while."

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><p><strong>*dramatic gasp*<strong>

**What happened next? All I can say is the next chapter is a cracker...**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thanks for the response, everyone! Much appreciated. Enjoy this chapter, it's my personal favourite! Don't forget to R&R **

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><p>The crackle of twigs breaking beneath my feet was the only sound in the woods as I walked with Jacob, waiting for him to reveal all. Somehow he didn't walk as noisily as I did. He moved soundlessly and with a grace that belied his tall stature. How did he do that? And how come I was the clumsiest person I knew? These questions would have to be answered another day. I had more important matters to contend with.<p>

Jacob began by recalling the night of the murder, speaking in a sombre tone. "It all started like any other normal night. Charlie was on duty. He was called to a disturbance that was in Port Angeles and went along with another officer to check it out. I think Charlie was expecting a drunken scuffle or something. Nothing major, you know? Just a typical Friday night with some bozos breaching the peace. Anyway, they get there and can't find anything. Apparently some stranger had been picking fights with patrons of the local bar but he's nowhere to be seen. Charlie decides to take a look around just to check. He ends up round the back of the building where's it quiet and empty. That's where he sees someone."

"Is it the stranger?"

"Yep. Except he's not alone. This is where it starts to get weird."

"Oh?"

"It's dark but Charlie sees this guy is crouched over a young woman who's lying in the alley. Then things get even weirder."

"How?"

"Charlie draws his handgun and tells the guy, who has his back to Charlie, to step away from the woman. He notices there's a small pool of blood near the head of woman. Its looks like the scene of a homicide. Charlie immediately fires a shot. It wounds the guy in the arm but he's already running away from the scene. Charlie tries to chase him down but the guy's too fast. Charlie's partner who has heard the shot calls for the ambulance but it's too late. The woman has a neck injury and bleeds out before she even makes it to the hospital."

I covered my hand over my mouth in horror. "That's so tragic. What happened to the guy – did they catch him?"

"Nope."

I came to a stand still as I took a minute to process the information. Was this really what gave Charlie a nervous breakdown? Did he feel guilty for not catching the bad guy? Or was it the fact that murders were extremely rare occurrences here? It was Port Angeles for Christ's sake, not downtown L.A. But surely Charlie knew this was part of his job? He was used to dealing with tragedy and the ugly side of life.

"I don't get it, Jake. What was it that made Charlie have a meltdown? The fact the killer was on the loose? Is that why he's so paranoid over my safety? He still thinks he's out there, ready to strike?"

"Well, that's not the only thing, Bella. There was a detail to the scene…"

"What detail?"

Jacob looked hesitant to tell me and explained in a rush of words, "When Charlie relayed the events he said that he saw blood smeared on the lips of the strange guy. Charlie had a theory that the guy might have been involved in some blood ritual or something really crazy because he was sure the guy must have been… you know," Jacob let me fill in the details rather than spell it out himself but the implication was clear. The woman's spilled blood was on that's guy's mouth.

My stomach rolled and I felt rather sick. I couldn't stand anything to do with blood and the idea that someone might be drinking it was beyond repulsive. I staggered slightly where I stood. "Oh my God, that's disgusting. That's downright vile! How could someone do something like that?"

"Yeah, it's gross. Except no one believed Charlie. They didn't think it was possible to notice a detail like that in the dark. The neck wound on the woman was precise and cleanly cut. There was no weapon found at the scene. But a blood-drinking maniac out on the prowl? No one wanted to believe that. Not in a sleepy town like Forks. It was too strange, too out there. I mean, this isn't _Twin Peaks_, you know? Everything had spun out of control; there were no reports of sightings of the man anywhere – he had effectively vanished and there were no leads on the case."

"Why didn't the authorities believe Charlie? That's seems so, so… unfair."

"Charlie is convinced he had witnessed a murderer who had drunk the victim's blood from her neck. However, He only saw the blood on the guy's mouth and the fact he was only crouched over her. He could have got that from a split lip… maybe the woman had tried to fight him off when he attacked her. The authorities had a case on their hands with no suspects and no information that might lead them to the murderer. The case very rapidly went cold and that was a big problem for the authorities. They weren't going to add to the mess by discussing the fact that the killer might have been some kind of deranged cannibal. As far as they were concerned they wanted to forget it ever happened so they told Charlie that his account was unreliable and that he needed to take time off to recover from his obviously fragile mental health."

My disgust dissolved into anger as I realised that Charlie's name had been besmirched for the sake of hushing up a dangerous killer. "This is bullshit. Did Charlie even really have a breakdown?"

"Honest truth is, I don't know." he shrugged his broad shoulders at me. "The case affected him a lot and I doubt he trusted anyone after that, apart from my dad of course, but he was determined to stick to his theory no matter how others wanted to portray him as some crazy guy who lost the plot."

"Wow, I kinda surprised he managed to get his job back."

"Well, your dad is still a pretty good officer and was too valuable to let go of permanently. Plus he learned quick to keep his theories to himself which helped. It's been two years since it happened. You'd be surprised how easy it is for everyone to forget."

"This is a lot to take in." I said, thoughtfully, wondering how Charlie had put his life back into order after something so traumatic. I was convinced that the ordeal must have affected him deeply. If I didn't believe Charlie's blood drinking theory was I as bad as the others who all disbelieved him?

"Should I have told you this?" asked Jacob, who was observing me carefully.

"I appreciate the fact that someone finally clued me in." I said, forcing myself to smile even though it was the last thing I wanted to do. "There's one thing still puzzling me though,"

"What?"

I grabbed the folds of my red cloak and gestured, "Why am I wearing this?"

"Aah," Jacob grinned. "I think the blame lies with my dad."

"What?" I exclaimed. "I can't wait to hear to explanation for this,"

"Well, it's really an old custom from my tribe. The Quilettes believe in the power of colour, particularly red. They say it wards off evil." Jacob waved his hand dismissively, like he didn't put much stock in this custom. "Billy was one of the few to believe Charlie and he told Charlie that red clothing would protect any wearer. Your cloak was custom made by one of tribeswomen. Charlie wanted the protection for you. So that's why you wear red."

"Oh my God, does that mean he thinks I'm on the killer's hit list?" A chill went up my spine.

To my surprise, Jacob laughed.

"Hey, this isn't funny; I'm a walking target here!"

"It's just a silly old custom. Like an old wives tale or something. I highly doubt you're on any hit list." Jacob reassured me.

"Try telling that to Charlie!" I huffed.

"I'm sorry. I've hurt your feelings, haven't I?"

"It's okay. I'll just add you to the list."

"What list?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you? I got my own list and your name is right at the top."

"So what does that mean?"

"You're toast."

"Uh-oh. Better catch me then." Jacob ran through the woods as I chased him back to the house.

The rest of my short weekend was spent brooding over the information I had learnt from Jacob. I couldn't bring myself to look at Charlie in the face. I saw him with a new sense of understanding and it broke my heart. It cast The Rules into a different light as well. The strictness of The Rules seemed harsh and unfair to me as I lived under them but I realised it was perhaps Charlie's way of coping, of taking control over elements that were not within his grasp.

Charlie wasn't a person to talk about his emotions but he was good at reading people. Maybe it was something he had learnt as part of his job in the Police force. He could sense my uneasiness and it wasn't long before he tried to ask me how I was over Sunday lunch.

"Honey, are you okay?" he had asked me.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I had lied, burying my nose into my reading book. "Must be a _hormones_ thing." My implication was clear; it was Charlie's most feared topic: _women's troubles_.

"Oh, yeah… those pesky hormones." Charlie commented, looking visibly uncomfortable.

My avoidance tactic had effectively ended any further questioning from Charlie. He was like a spooked horse around the topic of menstruation, puberty or anything else that made me mature from a little girl to a woman.

Monday morning was drizzly and dull and I went to school with a million questions buzzing around my brain like agitated flies. I wanted to ask Angela and Mike a few questions. We never spoke about Charlie. The topic was pretty much off limits and they never dared to broach the subject. They were decent people. This suited me fine but I realised that maybe they had information I could use. They must have heard about the murder and how Charlie was connected with it. Just a different perspective on the matter would be useful.

I went to my classes as usual but I could feel a different kind of tension in the air. I wasn't sure if I was being paranoid but it felt like I was getting stared at a lot. Lunch time approached and I went to the cafeteria to grab lunch. I was carrying my lunch tray to an empty table in the corner when some jerk walking in the opposite direction bumped into me causing my tray to tip upwards so that the contents spilled down my front. For a split second I thought it was an accident until I heard an uproar of raucous laughter from everyone around me. I could feel the heat in my cheeks and I was probably blushing scarlet in embarrassment. Seeing the guy smirking to his friends as walked over to join them confirmed that it was some kind of pre-meditated prank.

I had wanted to spy the cafeteria for signs of Mike or Angela but instead I headed straight to the girls' bathroom where I spent my lunch hour trying to clean the remains of my lunch off my shirt and cloak. I ended up sitting in a locked toilet cubicle crying into my sleeve and feeling like a fool.

I still had a lingering smell of tomato pasta as I headed for History class. I felt vulnerable and a little afraid as I walked through the halls. The sound of laughter from the cafeteria was still ringing in my ears. There was something mean-spirited about their laughter, as if they were laughing to make a point rather than find something genuinely funny. I was used to being treated like an outsider, a freak but this was different. _What had I done to deserve this?_

I felt the need to look unafraid and unbothered. _Be confident_, I had told myself, _or at least act like it_. I straightened up my posture and walked with my chin up and shoulders back. That's when I noticed that I was getting deathly glares from some students coming from the opposite flow of students walking through the hall. _To hell with confidence, just walk faster._ My chin dropped and I reverted back to my awkward shuffle as I hurried to class.

After class, I had a free period which I shared with Angela and Mike. I was anxious to meet them and practically ran all the way to the library. I selected a table in a quiet corner to sit and read books while I waited for them.

I felt calmer being surrounded by dusty shelves stacked with all kinds of books. I wondered why I felt so at home here. The library was my favourite place to sit and ponder. No, wait, my favourite place was the woods and after that was the library. I liked being outside wandering amongst the trees. In a way, sitting in a library was almost the same thing; books were basically made from pulped wood. Instead of branches I had pages and instead of leaves I had printed ink. The thought made me smile.

I was still smiling to myself as Angela arrived, scanning the library for my presence. I waved her over and she came and sat down opposite me with a grim expression. Whatever she had to say, I wasn't going to like it. I steeled myself for whatever was coming.

"Hi, Red." She said.

"Hey," I replied. "How are things?"

"Not so good." she answered as she took her books of out her duffle bag and set them on the table.

"Hit me with it."

"Well, I don't know where to start to be honest." She said in a confused tone.

I thought back to the last time I saw her. She had been in some kind of heated discussion with Lauren in the cafeteria. That had happened on Friday. I never did get the chance to ask her about that and frankly, I had forgotten all about it, what with all the weekend revelations about Charlie.

"Start from the beginning." I told her.

She glanced around the library, probably checking no one was nearby, before she began. "Well, I'd better explain the current situation first." She sighed. "Lauren's been talking."

"Oh, God." I slumped in my chair and put my head in my hands. "What's she been saying?"

"Well, you know how that senior got suspended for bringing drugs into school?"

I remembered the day when Charlie was called into school and saw Mike talking to me. "Yeah…"

"That senior was pretty ticked off about it as you can imagine."

"That senior was as dumb as a pile of rocks for smoking weed in school." I countered.

"I know." Angela grinned. "Anyway, he wanted to know who narc'd on him."

"Well, that's easy. It was the janitor. Everyone knows that."

"Yeah… except Lauren has decided to add her own spin on events." Angela's expression turned grave. "She says that you were involved."

"How the heck is that even possible?" I asked incredulously.

"I don't know, Red. But the fact that the cops turned up so quick and it was your dad who arrived – well, she says that you must have informed him."

"Oh, right. This just gets better, doesn't it?" my annoyance at Lauren leapt a few notches. "So how did I magically find out before everyone else?"

Angela replied bluntly. "She says that you're having an affair with the janitor and he told you about it."

I sat stunned for moment. Then I burst out laughing. "I'm the janitor's secret lover!" I gasped for a breath between guffaws. "And people actually believe this shit?"

Angela's serious expression cracked and she started laughing too. "I should have known all along you were hot for the janitor. He seems your type."

"Yeah, I love a man who knows his way around a bucket and mop." I raised an eyebrow coyly which made Angela laugh even more.

After we finished laughing at the absurdity of it all, we settled into our usual routine. I opened up my folder and started to arrange all my notes in order. Angela took off her brown jacket, revealing a lilac chunky knit sweater. The colour complimented her skin. I looked down at my faded pasta stains and felt a sense of shame of what had happened to me.

I didn't really want to broach the subject but she must have known what had happened. News, whether true or false, travelled fast around here and people took it seriously. I may have found the janitor rumour funny but it seemed like people were genuinely angry with me. Being accused of being a narc was not going to gain me any popularity points. I was an easy person to blame; I was quiet, had few friends and was already an outcast. Speaking of friends, weren't we missing one person?

"Where's Mike today?"

Angela bristled with an obvious irritation at the sound of his name. "Mike's being pussy."

"That's a delicate way of putting things." I replied.

"Well, it's true. He didn't come here today because he's worried about being seen with you. It all started when I suggested to Lauren that you should come and sit with us at lunch. Lauren was pissed off when she realised that Mike and I had spent time with you and it blew up into a huge argument."

I furrowed my brow in consternation. "I don't like you falling out because of me. It makes me feel guilty."

"I should be the guilty one!" Angela protested, clutching a hand over her chest. "If I hadn't gotten into a fight with Lauren she wouldn't have started the janitor rumour and stirred up the seniors with it. She's got them convinced and I guess they find you an easy target for their frustration. That jerk may be sat at home right now but his friends are still mad about it."

I came to a sudden realisation. "So that's why my lunch tray met my shirt today."

"Ugh, this is all my fault." she groaned, burying her face into her arms on the desk.

"No, it's not, Angela. It was only a matter of time before I did something else to piss Lauren off. That girl _really_ doesn't like me and the feeling is mutual. The rumours will soon die down and people will move onto something else. I just gotta keep my head down and ride this one out." I said, with a weary resignation.

Angela still looked distressed but she knew there wasn't much she could do about it. What could be done in a situation like this? Angela suggested that I tell a teacher about the cafeteria incident but I refused. If the rumour going around said that I was a narc then telling a teacher would only cement my reputation for being a snitch. It seemed like a better idea to just lay low.

We studied quietly for the rest of our free period until the bell rang. Angela invited me to come over to her house for a visit as a way of making things up with me. She was so keen on the idea, I couldn't say no but said I would have to ask Charlie first.

"It'll be fun to hang out together. I promise we'll have a good time." She said, squeezing my arm warmly before we departed our separate ways.

I wasn't exactly sure what her definition of a 'good time' was – I had nightmare visions of painting each other's toenails – but it was something to look forward to and Angela was good company.

I arrived at my locker to put away some books before I headed out to my next class. As I opened my locker door a small note fluttered out to the ground. I quickly retrieved it and looked around at the students passing by before unfolding it. The message was brief and to-the-point:

_Dear freak,_

_Your dad made a big mistake. _

_You have to pay the consequence. _

_Meet us at after school at the rear of the Science building._

_No backing out unless you want things to get even worse. _

My stomach knotted itself in anxiety and my mouth went dry with pure fear. My physical reaction took me by surprise. I couldn't remember being so scared that my freakin' saliva production dried up. This was bad, really bad. I wanted to call out for Angela even though I knew she was nowhere near. I was gripped by a desperation that ran in endless circles as I wracked my brains trying to figure out what I should do. My heart hammered inside my chest with an incessant urgency.

How the hell do I get out of this?

I turned away from my locker, the note crumpled up in my fist. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that Alice girl. It was hard not to notice her, her face shone like a gemstone, dimming the light on every other face around her. She was walking with friends but she caught me gazing at her. She smiled at me for the briefest moment before turning to her friend who chatting excitedly.

What was that all about? Was she smiling out of sympathy for the girl with the food stains on her shirt? That was the only plausible explanation I could think of. I went to my class and sat through it like a zombie, while every conceivable scenario of what I might face went through my mind. Would I be pushed and shoved around? Would they egg and flour me then run off laughing? Or maybe just a verbal warning? I contemplated asking Angela for help but I decided against it on the basis that I didn't want to her to get involved. No reason for two people to suffer instead of just one. Whatever I had to face, I had to face alone.

When the teacher dismissed the class at the end of the lesson, I could only shuffle in my zombie-like state to the destination where I would meet my fate. My feet dragged like weights tied to my legs. I slowly walked to the back of the Science building which was a well chosen location, owing to its quietness and seclusion. There was a dumpster next to a wall but no one was around. I was sure I was in the right place but where was my anonymous note writer? It pissed me off that I seemed to be working to their schedule.

Sure enough, I saw three senior guys walking towards me. I made the mistake of facing them with my back towards the wall. It would only make it easier for them to block me from running away. My heart started hammering again and I pulled my cloak around me tightly. The wind blew my hair in every direction as a chill descended upon me. They must have noticed their advantage because they cornered me until I was only a few feet away from the tall brick building wall.

One of the guys, an acne-scarred, mean-looking boy turned to his friend and said "well, well, well, what do we have here?"

The guy in the middle, who was also the tallest, seemed to be the leader and grinned menacingly at me.

"Told you the dumb bitch would turn up," piped up the third guy who was stocky with a round face and dark brown hair.

"She knows how to follow orders. That's a good thing," said the leader, eyeing me up in a way that felt sleazy. The other guys laughed.

"I-I-I didn't rat on your friend. It had nothing to do with me." I said, in a pathetic manner which had meant to sound confident. "Why can't you leave me alone?"

"It's called payback," sneered the stocky one.

"Listen carefully, cos this is what you're gonna do." the leader instructed in a measured, threatening tone that sent a cold shiver down my spine. "You're gonna give me a blowjob. And then you're gonna give my friends here a blowjob." He gestured towards them as they smirked at me.

I felt the bile rise in my throat and swallowed hard while he continued. "If we're satisfied then we'll consider leaving you alone," He had a smug look on his face. "So make sure you do a damn good job."

When I came to Forks from Phoenix, the first thing Charlie gave me was a can of pepper spray. At the time I thought it was hilarious and had left it to collect dust in the back of my drawer. I wasn't laughing now. I was grateful that he had taught me how to throw a punch but who should I hit first? In a short second, my brain began furiously calculating my options. The leader towered over me so swinging for a punch might prove difficult. With the smaller stocky one, I would probably end up just hitting fat which would be a futile effort on my part. I didn't even want to touch the acne guy – his face looked oily.

I decided my best bet was to kick one of them in balls and run like hell. My hands gripped the sides of my cloak, ready to hitch it up. Adrenaline flowed through me like electricity and I felt a surge of confidence that I might actually make it out of here unscathed.

"I think you better listen carefully to what I have to say," I said, through gritted teeth. "I wouldn't suck your shrivelled, diseased, little cocks if my life depended on it. Now get the fuck of my way before I really get mad."

I swung my leg out from underneath my cloak and aimed squarely for the leader's crotch. I kicked as hard as I could and in an instant saw him crumple to the ground, his eyes crossed in intense pain.

I made a run for it and almost got away but one of the guys grabbed at the back of my cloak and yanked me backwards, throwing me forcefully to the ground where I hit my head.

"You stupid whore!" I heard one of them shout at me.

I could see the fuzzy outline of their bodies standing over me as they blocked out the light, while tiny blinking stars exploded around me. I groaned in pain, willing myself to get up again so I could run. I heard a noisy scuffle as the bodies suddenly lifted away from me, revealing the pale blue sky. The stars were gone and I could finally see properly. A familiar face came into view and a pair of bright green eyes peered down at me with wide eyed curiosity.

"Did they hurt you?" he asked, tenderly brushing a strand a hair away from my face. He was so close to me our noses were practically touching. I could feel his warm breath fan across my face.

"I'm okay," I lied, while my heart beat erratically and my head throbbed in pain.

He stared into my eyes as if he were searching for a real answer. He looked a little frustrated but then his mouth broke into a crooked smile as if he was enjoying a private joke. I must have been pretty out of it because I smiled goofily at him, not knowing what to think or say beyond 'Ouch!' and 'Thank God, you're here!'

He helped me to my feet and I swayed and wobbled like a newborn deer. He turned away from me and I looked over his shoulder where I saw the three guys in a heap. They were struggling to get up.

The acne one stood up the quickest. One side of his face was scarlet red which I guessed was a fresh bruise. "You dumb son of a bitch. You just made your first mistake trying to defend that pathetic whore."

"You will not hurt the girl." Edward stated simply.

"And who the fuck are you to stop me, huh?"

Edward tutted and shook his head. "There's only one place filth belongs and that's in the trash."

He walked over to the acne guy and dragged him to the dumpster by the wall. In one swift movement, he lifted the lid and flung him into the dumpster where he landed with a loud crunch. My mouth gaped open. Was this real or was I imagining this?

The other two had scrambled to their feet when Edward turned to them. The leader lunged wildly for him but Edward swept a foot underneath the guy's legs knocking him to the floor – it reminded me of a move you would see in a martial arts movie. He howled in agony as Edward hauled him into the dumpster. Only the one stocky one remained. His eyes swung desperately from Edward to his despatched friends, back and forth as if he were watching a tennis match. He made his choice and he meekly walked to the dumpster and dived in, pulling the lid over his head.

Edward dusted his hands off and came towards me. He looked concerned. "It's the emergency room for you, I'm afraid."

"I can't," I protested. "I don't want Charlie – my dad – to know about this. It'll make him really upset."

I was thankful that Edward nodded in understanding. "Don't worry I know just the person."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hi folks. This chapter picks up exactly where the last one ended. Edward has come to Bella's rescue. **

**Enjoy and review please! I really appreciate your feedback.**

* * *

><p>"I don't want you to cause you any hassle. Honestly, my head isn't that bad and I could drive myself to the hospital." I said apologetically. I already felt like I owed Edward for what had happened and I didn't want to add to my mounting debt.<p>

"It's no trouble at all." he answered, as he led me to his car, a sleek shiny looking Volvo. His sister, Alice, was casually leaning against the side of the car with her arms folded.

"You took your time," she said, raising an eyebrow.

He narrowed his eyes at Alice. "Don't tell me you missed me."

"I won't. I'm not that good a liar." she said, with a sly grin.

Edward laughed as he took his car keys out his pocket. Alice looked to me and uncrossed her arms, holding her hand out to shake. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Alice."

I shook her hand weakly, not being able to muster up any strength. "I'm Bella although most people know me as Red."

"Alice. I need to take Bella to the hospital. We're going to see Carlisle," said Edward.

"Why? What happened?" she looked at me quizzically.

I wasn't sure how to explain it. I was still trying to process the events in my own aching head. "I-I-I fell over." I lied.

"Wow. You're a worse liar than me." she sounded almost impressed.

"Alice, we need to help out Bella. Are you going to co-operate or would you like to walk home by yourself?"

"Are those the only two choices?"

"Alice…" Edward growled.

"Okay, okay! Sheesh, I was joking. What do you want me to do?"

Edward looked to me for guidance. My immediate thoughts were about Charlie and how to cover this all up. Luckily for me, he was working late today so hopefully I would be back home by the time he arrived. However, my truck was an issue. I couldn't leave it here in the school parking lot.

"My truck. I can't leave it behind." I said to Edward. "Could we drive to the hospital in my truck?"

Edward looked over to where my truck was parked. He appeared sceptical. "We'll be faster in my car."

"My truck is reliable," I replied, defensively. "And Charlie will notice if it's missing."

We stubbornly stared at each other in stalemate; neither of us willing to concede – we were both oddly attached to our vehicles.

"Edward, you drive Bella in your car to the hospital." Alice instructed him. "Bella, gimme your car keys. I'll follow you both in your truck. When Edward drops you home, I'll leave the truck at your house and go home with Edward. Got it?"

It was the best plan we could come up with so I decided to go with it. Time was of the essence and I wanted to make sure I got home as soon as possible. I reluctantly handed my keys over to Alice who skipped over to my truck like a ballerina in training.

"Are you sure your sister can handle my truck?" I whispered to Edward as he opened the car door for me.

"Oh, sure." He replied. Alice honked the truck horn enthusiastically with one hand while waving at us with the other. Her little pixie face was beaming with childish pleasure.

"She loves antique cars," he added wryly, while suppressing a grin.

I winced as I heard Alice loudly revving up the engine. This was going to be a long journey.

On the way to the hospital, I had time to gather my thoughts on the entire day and the unfolding of such strange events. The adrenaline rush had fizzled out of my body and I was left feeling completely drained. Hunger pangs from my stomach reminded me that I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. The fact that my head's throbbing pain had dulled was a small consolation.

I couldn't help but notice the irony of spending my lunch time cleaning myself up and crying because some asshole had made me spill my lunch tray over myself. If only I had known that things were going to get so much worse.

I thought back to those jerks cornering me by the wall. I was overwhelmed by feelings of fear and panic as I relived the memory of the confrontation. I could see the acne scarred guy throwing his hands in my direction trying to reach for me as I had turned to get away. My legs jolted with the impulse to run; I held my head in my hands and squeezed my eyes shut, willing the memory to disappear.

"What's the matter?" I heard Edward ask.

I couldn't speak for a moment. I was afraid that no words would be able to come out and I sure as hell did not want to cry in front of Edward Cullen – a person who had not acknowledged my presence before today.

"Bella." he said my name urgently. "Bella, talk to me."

I was submerged inside my memory. I was on the ground, my head thumping with the fresh sensation of pain. I saw their faces, evil and twisted. I shivered.

"Bella, please."

His voice pulled me to the surface of my consciousness. I forced myself to look at him, to prove I was okay and not a total nutjob. I tentatively opened one eyelid and turned to him, both of my eyes slowly widening as I took in his look of concern. I held his gaze and I was entranced once again. I was looking into those green eyes, clear and deep as ocean water, framed with thick dark lashes…

"Um, you're starting to freak me out. Speak to me, Bella." he implored.

Charlie said that in his job he would see people in a state of shock usually after a traumatic event. He said it affected people in different ways; they might look blank and dazed or they might just break down completely. I guessed I was acting out some combination of the two.

I snapped out my trance and answered hurriedly. "Oh, I'm fine – no really, I am."

His jaw clenched as his gaze returned to the road. I noticed the speed dial start to creep up as he increased the speed. He wasn't convinced by my answer. Hell, I wouldn't have been convinced by my answer. I decided it would be best to keep my eyes off Edward for the rest of the journey.

I was struck by how handsome Dr. Cullen was. I would have said that good looks run in the family had I not known that he was Edward's adoptive parent. I could only marvel at his good looks as he monitored my heartbeat and gently prodded the back of my head.

"Oh, my dear," he remarked. "I can see a bit of redness on your scalp from the bump but it will go in a day or two. You said you fell over?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Slippery bit of concrete. Stepped on it and _whoosh – _I went flying."

I was pretty sure that Dr. Cullen didn't believe my explanation for one moment but he gamely played along. "Well, next time you be careful, Bella."

"I will." I replied, hopping off the examination bed and slipping my cloak back on.

Edward and Alice were patiently sat in the waiting room. They stood up when they saw Dr. Cullen and I approach them.

"What's the verdict, Doc?" enquired Alice chirpily.

"Patient confidentiality, Alice," he chided with good humour. "You should know that by now."

"I'm fine." I said, sheepishly.

"Edward, may I speak with you for a moment." Dr. Cullen said. "It won't take long."

"Excuse me for a moment," Edward said, before leaving with Dr. Cullen.

I felt awkward standing alone with Alice. Just like with her brother, we had never spoken before today. The unfamiliarity between the two of us was making me feel nervous.

"You know, I think I can drive my truck home myself." I said.

"Nonsense! Edward will drive you home." She assured me.

"Really, I'm okay." I said. "I've put both of you through so much trouble already. I'm fine now. I'm already feeling better."

Her dark grey eyes had the same clarity as Edward's bright green eyes. They began to water and her expression filled with sadness. I had an uneasy feeling like I'd just kicked a puppy.

"Did you know I'm a cheerleader?" her voice wobbled with emotion. "Is that why you hate me?"

_Oh, god. She's crying. Why is she crying and how do I stop it? _I thought frantically.

"I don't hate you, Alice. Why in the world would you think that?"

She didn't seem to be listening. "I told Carlisle as soon as we moved here I wanted to be in the cheerleading squad. I mean, it's practically a rite of passage for a teenage girl, you know?" Tears ran down her face as she continued babbling her stream of consciousness. "And I made the team and Jessica, the head cheerleader was so nice to me and she made me the top of the pyramid. Do you know how long I've waited to be the top for he pyramid?"

"I don't hate you for being a cheerleader," I interrupted. "I don't have an irrational hatred for cheerleaders, okay?"

She squinted at me. "Then why are you not letting me drive your truck?"

_She was crying like a child who'd just had their favourite new toy taken away because I wouldn't let her drive my truck_? _This girl was totally nuts. It was sort of endearing in a strange, don't-get-too-close-to-me way._

"You can drive my truck." I relented. "I'll let Edward drive me home."

Alice's face lit up instantly. "Aaw, aren't you wonderful? If you ever want to join the cheer team I'll put in a good word for you." she said, patting my shoulder.

"Gee, thanks." I said unenthusiastically, watching Alice twirl my truck keys around her dainty little finger.

Edward came back to join us and soon we were on the road again, Alice following behind us in my truck. Edward didn't talk about his conversation with Dr. Cullen and I didn't mention my conversation with Alice. I figured it might sound rude to tell him his sister was certifiable.

He turned on the car stereo and a loud rock song with a thumping drum beat blared from the speakers.

I reached for my ears. "Can you turn that down, please?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry." he quickly turned down the volume. "Is that better?"

I dropped my hands into my lap. "Yeah, much better. I never pegged you as an AC/DC fan"

"You know who AC/DC are?" he asked, with surprise.

"Yeah, sure." I replied. "They're part of Charlie's record collection. He likes to rock out the air guitar. It's one of his favourite ways to wind down after a hard day. Is 'Highway to Hell' a favourite track of yours?" I asked, as the song played in the background.

He thought about it for a moment and his lips began to twitch. "Yes. I find it amusing."

Amusing? That's not the first word that comes to mind describing that particular track. Maybe he enjoyed his music in some kind of ironic way that I didn't understand.

"What kind of music do you like?" I asked with genuine curiosity.

"Is this what we're doing? Talking about music?" he glanced at me with an unreadable expression.

"Er, yeah? Although, if you don't want to talk we don't have to." I stared down at my hands, feeling a little offended.

"I hope this doesn't seem like I'm overstepping my mark but I'm worried about you and I feel uneasy about conspiring against your father to conceal what happened to you today."

"_Conspiring_?" I scoffed at the word. "I never asked you to be my fellow conspirator. You volunteered, remember?"

"That's true." He sighed. "I won't profess to understand the relationship you have with your father although you have indicated that he is strict."

"You don't even know the half of it," I muttered under my breath.

"Tell me this, Bella. Are you going to inform the school authorities what happened to you?"

"I-I-It's over now. I want to forget it." I mumbled feebly, knowing full well I had no intentions of telling anyone what had happened. Not even Mike or Angela.

"Bella, you cannot let them get away with it. Unless they've been raised by a pack of wild dogs, I cannot think of a single reason to explain that kind of behaviour!" he said, indignantly. "What kind of despicable fiend violently harasses a young woman?"

I had never heard anyone my age use the term '_fiend'_. Who talks like that outside of nineteenth century fiction novels? Not anyone I know. His cadence and speech seemed to belong to another age. However, I was taken aback by how passionately he felt about my situation. Up until now his demeanour had been calm and collected so his outburst came as a surprise. It felt like he cared. I, Bella Swan, mattered as a person. _How strange that he should think that way about me. _

The road ahead was becoming narrower as we drove into the woods. Edward slowed his car down accordingly although given his taste for speed I suspected he was trying to buy himself more time.

"You don't understand. Things will get worse for me if I become the school tattle-tale." I pleaded.

"There's a difference between being a tattle-tale and being an assault victim." He said, dryly.

We pulled up in front of my wooden house. I didn't have time to feel embarrassed about my modest accommodation. I was too busy scowling at Edward. He had a valid point but I felt I had too much to lose. If Charlie found out and he would if I told the school – I would lose my freedom. That was too high a price to pay.

"Look, things aren't as cut and dried as you're making out. I appreciate your concern and help but I think it's time we went back to ignoring each other in school hallway. I know I'd prefer it that way."

"Well, if that's what you'd prefer then… as you wish." He said disappointedly, resigned to the fact. He kept his eyes on the steering wheel, denying me one last look at his hypnotising green eyes.

His response hurt me even though I had got exactly what I wanted – he was going to keep his mouth shut and act if this entire thing had never happened.

"Guess I better go, then." I said, opening the car door.

"Goodbye, Bella." he replied. "Take care of yourself."

Alice had pulled up and parked my truck. She bounced out with a blissful expression. "Now _that_ was amazing." She said, handing the keys to me. "Thank you, Bella."

She got into the passenger seat of Edward's silver Volvo and waved at me as they drove off, leaving a trail of dust in their wake. I watched them disappear down the dark lane that led back to the main road.

"Goodbye, Edward," I whispered into the emptiness.

Tiredness hit me like a giant tidal wave and I spent most of the evening crashed out on my bed. It was a deep sleep – the kind of sleep where even a hurricane can't disturb you. I awoke at 8.34pm thinking it was morning already. Only when I looked down and saw that I was dressed and outside was dark did I realise it was the evening.

I trudged down the stairs and saw Charlie's jacket and gun holster hung on the hallway peg. He was in the living room, watching TV and eating left over lasagne from a Tupperware container.

"Hello, sleepyhead," he said, watching me flop onto the sofa. "What've you been up to?"

"Nothing," I said irritated, hearing an unspoken accusation in his voice. "Is it a crime to be tired?"

"Whoa, don't bite my head off." He put his container of lasagne down on the coffee table. "I was only askin' cos when I got home I saw you sleeping like a log. That is unusual for you, honey."

"Yeah, I… don't feel so good." I said.

"You want me to make a doctor's appointment for you?" asked Charlie.

"nah. It's not that bad." I replied. "I'm gonna find something to eat."

I wandered off to the kitchen to forage for some food. I made a sandwich with some cold cuts and pieces of cheese. It wasn't the most appetizing supper I had ever made but it fed my hunger which was enough for me. I went upstairs, took one look at the pile of homework that had gathered on my small table and promptly flopped onto my bed, crawling under the covers. Charlie checked on me and said I could take the day off tomorrow if I still didn't feel well.

The next day was spent at home. I went through a whole spectrum of moods and emotions that can be described as thus:

1. _Laziness_

I woke up late and mooched around the house in my pyjamas, eating cereal by the handful from the box, lounging in front of the TV and watching bad soap operas. It was a nice beginning to the day but it didn't last and soon gave way to…

2. _Determination_

I've always championed the therapeutic merits of cleaning and I decided that now was the perfect time to start cleaning the house from top to bottom. I swept, I vacuumed, and I scrubbed. I even took the old living room rug outside to beat the dust out of it. I imagined that those jerks were on the receiving end of my vicious beatings as I wielded my wicker carpet beater like a madwoman. God, it felt good.

3. _Calm_

After working out my anger issues on the rug and wearing myself out through manically cleaning the house, I felt peaceful and content. I made my lunch and ate by the window, wishing I could sneak outside to the woods. Charlie had said he would phone me during the day to check on me so I had to stay inside so as not to miss his call. I wasn't sure whether he had cleverly planned it that way or if it was just a fluke but I had to remain inside, much to my chagrin.

4. _Confusion_

I had time to reflect on the events of yesterday and I was still puzzled by the way Edward had come to my rescue. This was the same person that Mike had declared 'unbearably boring' on account of his one-word answers and general non-participation within the group. I had seen with my own eyes how detached he seemed from his surroundings, the way his eyes glazed over whenever Lauren chatted to him. Why would he care about me or anyone else in this school?

Was I being unfair? I was a hair's breadth from getting my ass kicked and worse before he intervened on my behalf. I couldn't think of many people in this school who would have done that for me.

5. _Yearning_

I may have bumped my head but thankfully it hadn't impaired my memory. Every minute detail about him – the sound of his voice, his bright green eyes, the clothes he wore, the way he walked – had been committed to memory. The shallow side of me that was transfixed by him rejoiced in every little detail as I washed the dishes in a dreamy state of remembrance. I could remember his strong jaw line, his soft-spoken voice, the way his face creased as he smiled, the way the dull sunlight managed to pick out the bronze colouring in his hair…

I admitted I had a shallow attraction to his looks but now his actions matched his appearance. When I needed help the most, he had been there for _me_. If I didn't sound so smitten I would have called him my hero. I sickened myself with how much I was enamoured with this strange, kind, beautiful boy.

6. _Regret_

There were still questions that needed answering. Like what was his problem before when he avoided me because I had gum stuck on my shoe. Is he that easily disgusted by the sight of chewing gum? Why does he hang out with Lauren? Is it because of his sister, Alice? Where did his family move from? Was he single? If only I hadn't told him to go back to ignoring me I might have been able to look forward to another conversation with Edward.

7. _Surprise_

Charlie came home early even though I had reassured him that I was feeling much better over the phone. I suppose it was Charlie just _being_ _Charlie_ really. I had already started on my homework which I was working on in the kitchen. I was trying to keep one eye on my batch of chocolate brownies that were in the oven. That was when my next surprise occurred. The phone rang and I answered it, not recognising the voice at first. After laughing to cover my embarrassment, I realised it was Angela. She wanted to know why I hadn't been in school and I explained to her that I hadn't been feeling well. When I asked her if I'd missed anything, I didn't expect her answer.

"Oh nothing really…" she paused dramatically. "Only the freakin' police turned up again for another drug bust!"

"No way. What happened?"

"Three guys were arrested for possession of drugs. They swear they're innocent and I don't know who tipped off the principal but they're gonna be expelled for sure."

"That's so weird." I said, in bewilderment.

"I know right? Can you believe they found _cocaine_ in their lockers? I mean, a bit of weed is understandable but doing coke? That's all kinds of messed up. They're all gonna be expelled for sure."

"Who were those guys?"

"Well, they're all seniors and they were friends with that other guy who got kicked out of school. I don't know their names but they were kinda shady. Two of the guys' faces were busted up when they came into school."

The distinct smell of something burning was wafting in from the kitchen. "Oh crap, my brownies. I gotta go, Ange. Talk tomorrow?"

"You can bet on it. See ya, Red."

I hung up the phone and rushed to the kitchen to retrieve my brownies that were now blackened and burnt. I stared at them as they cooled down on the counter. Could those three senior guys be the same guys that had attempted to hurt me? It sounded like it from Angela's description.

_What a neatly conceived piece of retribution_, I thought suspiciously. It seemed too good to be true. I had two options; to accept coincidence or to entertain the notion that someone had been taking matters into their own hands.

But who could possibly have done such a thing? Only a person who knew what happened to me, which helpfully narrowed down the list of names.

My mind reached for the name that never strayed far from my thoughts.

Edward Cullen.


	6. Chapter 6

I tossed and turned restlessly in my bed unable to sleep. I tried closing my eyes but it didn't make a difference. I was wide awake. Something inside evidently didn't want to sleep – couldn't sleep – even if I wanted to. In a strange way it made sense. My waking moments had felt like a dream – a surreal, strange dream. I got out of bed and pulled the curtains open. The view from window looked out onto the woods and in the far distance I could see the mountain. The night sky was indigo with a pale moon hung up high amongst the stars.

I pulled my rocking chair to the window and sat down, hugging my knees to my chest. I wanted to put my recollection of events into some kind of order. In the present moment, all I could think about Edward Cullen. My idle daydreams about him earlier in the day seemed to have tarnished somewhat when I tried to reconcile what he might have possibly done. Could I really believe that he had framed those senior boys or was I jumping to conclusions too fast?

I thought back to his impassioned plea to tell the school authorities and his apparent disappointment when I said I wouldn't. Had my refusal compelled him to take matters into his own hands?

On the other hand, Angela said that they had found evidence in their lockers. That was something which couldn't be faked. The police wouldn't have arrested them if it had been a prank.

I closed the curtains and returned to bed. I couldn't resolve matters inside my head and I decided that a good's night rest might help me to see matters clearly in the morning. Just one question lingered at the back of my mind. Who was Edward Cullen?

Charlie didn't discuss his work with me. I wasn't sure if he took his work home with him but he didn't talk to me about it. He liked watching Columbo – I think he related to his curmudgeonly ways and the old-fashioned techniques Columbo used to solve a crime. Interviewing people and pouring over every piece of evidence until the puzzle fit together, yes, that's what Charlie liked. He would loudly point out the flaws of any other detective show that he didn't approve of – CSI was too flashy; The Wire was too much like being back at work; he didn't like the guy who played Monk; Jessica Fletcher was a busybody – but Columbo could do no wrong in his eyes.

I was slowly but surely learning more about Charlie by observing his idiosyncratic ways – his drink of choice was Vitamin R; he always sat in the leather armchair to watch sporting matches; his shirts consisted of every type of plaid pattern known to man.

He was slowly learning about me too. We had a disastrous first attempt at bonding when I came to live with him. For some bizarre reason, Charlie's idea of father-daughter bonding was to go deer hunting. He had me shoot empty cans for target practice like you see in old Western films before taking me to the forest. As a hunter, it must be easy to separate live and death between human beings and animals but having just lost Renee, my feelings were at their rawest and suffice to say, the hunting trip was my first and last.

I liked to cook and look after Charlie. He saw I was content with being the happy little homemaker – something I would never admit to publicly because of the extreme lameness of it all – and let me be.

Even though I thought I was getting to know my dad, he could still throw a curveball or two. I was worried he might be angry about the boys at school who got arrested and expelled for bringing drugs into school. Living in a small town, it seemed really unusual and possibly quite frightening for other parents.

However, Charlie seemed quite calm. I had to listen to a long rant about the 'yahoos' in this town and there was long lecture on why drugs are bad but Charlie trusted me not to get involved in that kind of trouble. He knew I was far too mature for that which was true. He said you would have to travel far to find a drug dealer in Forks (if there were any at all) and those boys had been cautioned and would learn their lesson. He had spoken to the principal about it and was going to attend a school meeting to discuss the issue further.

I felt a pang of guilt knowing how much trust he had placed in me even though I was still keeping secrets from him. However, I decided that upsetting him would cause more pain than it's worth and those guys had been expelled anyway so there was no need. Whether it was down to fate or Edward Cullen, I had been done a huge favour. I had been dreading seeing those despicable dumbasses at school again. I felt safer knowing they had been gotten rid of.

However, the question niggled away at the back of my mind. Had Edward been involved in some way or had they really been caught up in a drugs scandal? I went to school determined to find out.

I was the first to arrive in the empty school parking lot. I pulled into a parking spot and pulled out my weathered copy of Wuthering Heights. I had no idea why I was drawn to the book; I wasn't a fan of romance novels but the gothic, gloomy atmosphere of the moors appealed to me. Living in dull Forks I felt I could relate. It was freezing cold outside and I turned on the heater, warm air blasting through the vents.

The parking lot slowly began to fill and I sat low in my seat, trying to look inconspicuous. I felt like a detective on a stake-out as I watched for any sign of a sleek, silver Volvo. I turned the yellowed pages of my book without looking at them. Finally, they arrived as I saw him drive into a vacant space on the far side of the lot. Alice hopped out of the car and joined Edward by his side as they walked towards the school entrance. I noticed he was wearing his grey coat with the silver buttons.

I quickly stuffed my book into my bag and got out of my truck. I followed them from a discreet distance, hiding behind pillars and other students whenever I thought they might turn around or look back. I saw Alice break away from Edward as she joined Jessica and her cheerleading friends.

I watched him as he went to his locker, opening it and retrieving some books. There were only a few people nearby so I decided to take my chance. I marched up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and looked at me with a blank expression.

"I-I-I – you – we…" I sputtered like I had forgotten how to speak. My mouth gaped open as I tried to suck in some air. "I… have to go."

_Holy, fucking shit! What the fuck was that? _I yelled inside my head as I abruptly turned away, sprinting down the corridor as fast as I could. _Shit, that was so embarrassing. _I could feel every inch of skin flushing hotly as the sound of my stammering echoed inside my head. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what had just happened except for the fact I had made a complete and utter fool of myself in front of Edward Cullen. I wanted to die. I was going to be the first person in the history of the world to die of embarrassment. "Ugh!" I groaned, in misery.

I spent my next few classes cringing at regular intervals as the embarrassing encounter replayed endlessly in my head. I wanted to slam my head against the desk in the vain hope that concussion might rid me of my horrible memory. The English teacher thought I was sick and insisted I go to the bathroom because I looked like I ready to puke.

The sickness twisted into anxious knots at lunch time. I was dreading going into the cafeteria – it had been a place of humiliation last time around. I was becoming accustomed to the crippling feeling of humiliation. _Why was that?_ _Oh yeah, I remember. _ I'm the most awkward person to walk the face of the planet.

I meekly made my way inside the cafeteria, on the look out for anyone who might come too close to me. I wasn't receiving any hateful glares from anyone. In fact, it seemed like things were back to normal. Perhaps I had been forgiven for my affair with the janitor? I still couldn't grasp how people could believe such a ridiculous rumour in the first place.

I bought my lunch and sat in the corner at an empty table near the window. I picked at my salad (chosen because it wouldn't stain if someone threw it at me), enjoying the sensation of a cherry tomato exploding inside my mouth when I spied Edward from across the hall. He was sitting with his usual crowd. I could feel myself sinking further down my seat as the feeling of embarrassment returned. _Please don't look at me_, I thought. _Oh crap, he's looking at me!_

I looked down at my plate and pushed around a piece of lettuce until I thought it was safe to look again. Edward's gaze was turned away from me. I felt both disappointed and relieved. It seemed to be my destiny to be forever staring at Edward Cullen. If only I hadn't messed up my chance to speak to him this morning…

I could sit here and feel foolish and self-pitying or I could do something about it. I made up my mind to take action. But what should I do? Could I trust myself to speak coherently if I approached him again? I wasn't sure if I could handle another meltdown in front of Edward.

Perhaps a note shoved in his locker? That didn't seem like such a bad idea. Although it might be a bit creepy to re-create the circumstances in which I'd met my attackers. I got out my pen and note pad and started to scrawl a note. I decided revealing my name would eliminate any creepiness. That way he wouldn't have to expect any nasty surprises. I just hoped he would be able to read my messy penmanship.

_Edward,_

_I'd like to talk to you about what happened. _

_Meet me by my truck after school. _

_Bella _

After wracking my brains for almost the entire lunch hour, I had been able to conjure up this mini-masterpiece of a note. Shakespeare, I most definitely wasn't. I left the cafeteria to stealthily slip the note into his locker. It had started to snow outside and everyone was in high spirits throwing snowballs at each other, leaving me free to slip the note undetected. Mission accomplished, I spent the rest of the day waiting for my moment.

By the time the end of school bell rang, the snow had already turned to melted slush. I hoped I would be able avoid any wet snowballs smashing into me as I crossed the parking lot. I looked around impatiently for Edward. I spotted him at the other side of the parking lot. He had a long navy blue scarf wrapped around his neck and his hands were shoved deep inside his pockets. He looked like he was feeling the cold. Had he seen me? He was walking in my general direction but he was looking down. _He's probably trying not to slip on the tarmac_, I thought to myself. I left my bag on the truck bed, and then stood by the back corner of my truck to wait for him.

I wasn't sure what effect Edward would have on me this time. I certainly didn't want a repeat of today's earlier embarrassment and hoped that I would be more coherent and calm but Edward had a way of turning my insides into jelly. In a good way. a sexy way… _Oh God, Bella please don't make a fool of yourself._ Twice in one day would be more than enough!

In the midst of my thoughts I heard laughter coming from Lauren's group of friends as Lauren shook the remnants of a thrown snowball from her waxen blonde hair. She reminded me of a rather disgruntled looking ice queen. I'm sure if that snowball had hit anyone else she would have laughed along with everyone else but as the joke was on her she had to be a humourless bitch about it.

In my distraction I had taken my eye off Edward and when I looked back to him, I saw that he was traversing the parking lot, head down, oblivious – I noticed he was wearing ear buds – as Tyler's van headed towards him, tyres locked, brakes screeching wildly with Tyler at the wheel with a horrified expression.

"EDWARD!"

I acted instantly without thinking, rushing forward to Edward, grabbing his elbow and yanking him out of the way of the deadly vehicle that seemed intent on grinding him into the tarmac. I pulled him to me and slipped as I did so, landing backwards on the ice with Edward on top of me wearing a look of abject horror.

_Oh dear, I've done it again_, I thought to myself as I heard Tyler's van skid to a halt in the background.

Edward's face was inches from mine. Sharp shooting pains were emanating from my ankle. Snowflakes were fluttering in the air around us and for a split second everything fell silent.

"Bella…" he looked confused, as if it had suddenly dawned on him that he was lying directly on top of me in the middle of the school parking lot. He scrambled quickly to his feet.

"I'm – I'm –I'm so sorry," I tried to stand up but my ankle hurt and it made me sway unsteadily on the spot. "Ouch!"

"Someone call an ambulance!" said Edward urgently to the small crowd that had gathered around us alarmingly quickly.

"Oh, cool your heels, Edward. She just fell on her butt," Lauren replied with a smirk, standing smugly at the front of the crowd.

Edward's eyes flashed angrily at her instantly wiping the smirk from her face. She retreated hastily back into the crowd and disappeared.

Angela appeared at my side, holding the crook of my elbow to steady me. "Here, let me help you," she said, kindly.

"Thanks."

"Trust you to act like Wonderwoman," she teased, whispering into my ear. "I think your cloak is actually a cape in disguise. I have you rumbled, Red."

"I didn't do anything!" I spluttered, embarrassed.

Angela looked over to Edward who was busy talking on his cell phone. "Oh, Red, don't apologise…" I followed her gaze to him. "He's totally worth it."

I was met at the hospital by Charlie. He took one look at me and sighed deeply. I think he was resigned to the fact that his daughter was severely accident-prone. I played down exactly how my twisted ankle had happened because I thought it sounded too reckless for Charlie's taste. It didn't stop him from chastising me though.

"Honey, I've had to visit this place far too many times as part of my job and it's never pleasant – no offence, doc." Charlie looked to Dr. Cullen.

"None taken, chief," he replied amiably, as he examined my ankle tenderly with his pale fingers.

"… It's just that you need to take more care of yourself, Bells."

"I do! If it wasn't for that damn patch of ice…" I frowned.

"If it wasn't for you trying to grab some _boy_ out the way –"

"I was helping him, dad. You would have done the same thing!" I retorted.

"You don't put yourself at risk, Bella. I want you to be safe." Charlie said, sternly.

"I'm still blaming the ice," I muttered. "It wasn't my fault. It was an act of God. Also, He should have made Tyler's brakes work."

Charlie laughed. "Oh, so it's God fault that this Tyler boy couldn't control his damn vehicle in extreme weather conditions?"

"Well, who else created the extreme weather conditions in the first place?"

Charlie scratched the stubble on his chin and paused before speaking. "You got me there, kiddo." I smiled in triumph. "I'm still not happy about it though." he grumbled. "And who's this kid you saved anyway?"

"Edward Cullen," I said slowly, as Dr. Cullen's gaze rose to meet mine.

I waited for the name to sink in as Charlie's eyes flickered to Dr. Cullen's name tag. "Edward's your boy?"

"Guilty as charged, I'm afraid." Dr. Cullen said, sheepishly. "He phoned me to tell me what happened. He feels really bad about all this. He's in the waiting room. He won't leave until he's had the chance to apologise."

"What's he got to apologise for?" Charlie asked incredulously. "Seems like my Bella did him a favour. He should be thanking her if anything." He said, gruffly.

Dr. Cullen looked flustered for a second in response to Charlie's bluntness but quickly recovered his calm expression. "Oh, of course. He is grateful for Bella's actions. We both are," he said warmly, making me smile.

Charlie looked distinctly unimpressed as Dr. Cullen bandaged my ankle. I think he was annoyed by the revelation that Edward was Dr. Cullen's son. He didn't like to be surprised – it didn't fit with his need to be in control of everything. He proceeded to lecture me on the importance of safety in severe weather conditions for the entire time it took for Dr. Cullen to wind the roll of gauze tightly around my ankle. I still stuck to my story that the accident was an act of God. If God hadn't created someone as perfect as Edward I wouldn't have been so quick to act so recklessly. Not that I was blaming God, of course. Edward's mere existence was all more reason to give thanks to the Creator.

I could spot Edward from the end of the long corridor I was walking down with Charlie. He was standing in front of the vending machine with his fingers pressed up against the glass. He was staring intently before making his selection. A clattering noise followed his button pressing and Edward bent down and put his hand through the flap, pulling out a small handful of chocolate bars. _Wow, Edward sure had a sweet tooth. _He stuffed the chocolate bars into the deep pocket of his navy military coat with the beautiful silver buttons. He pushed more coins into the slot and retrieved more chocolate bars which he deposited into his coat pocket. He looked guilty like he didn't want anyone to know he had just bought enough chocolate to slay a diabetic. Why was everything he did so intriguing?

Was he really waiting for me? I felt nervous and slightly giddy at the thought. I felt a desperate urgency in trying to figure out exactly what I would say. Would Charlie have to be present for the conversation or would I be able to shoo him away?

"Charlie, Dr. Carlisle said Edward was waiting to speak to me." I said, hopefully.

"Yeah well, he's gonna have to wait a lot longer than that to speak to you."

If my ankle hadn't been bandaged up I would have stamped my foot in annoyance at Charlie. We both knew he was punishing me for my actions. Edward was just another 'yahoo' as far Charlie was concerned and there was no reason for me to be conversing with him.

Charlie marched me through the lobby, a firm hand around my shoulder, blocking me from Edward as we made our way to the exit. Edward turned around just in time to see me being led past him. I wanted shake off Charlie's oppressive, heavy hand on my shoulder but I did nothing. I hoped Edward would stop us before we exited through the Perspex sliding doors but he did nothing.

_I've missed my chance, _I thought to myself glumly.

By the time I got home I practically half-asleep and decided on an early night. I took my pain medication and clambered into bed, falling asleep almost immediately. It was the first night I dreamt of Edward Cullen.

In my dream, I was standing in the middle of the hospital waiting room. Edward was walking out of the exit, his glorious face reflected in the glass doors with me yelling at him to wait for me. He doesn't wait – he's acting as if I was invisible. I scream and shout but nothing I do stops him from walking out those glass doors into the darkness that consumes him. The scene immediately switches to the school parking lot and the sound of the van screeching towards Edward has me sitting bolt upright in bed, beads of sweat collecting at my forehead. My day of near-misses had turned into a nightmare.

My ankle started to heal over the next few days. I had been told to walk on it which was a good excuse to get out the house and into my beloved woods. The atmosphere inside had been stifling and I preferred to venture outside than stay cooped up in my room.

The woods had become a winter wonderland with a light dusting of snow covering everything in sight. I enjoyed breathing puffs of smoke into the air like a dragon. School always felt like a world away when I was in the woods, which was a good thing because I was in urgent need of perspective.

It felt like I had been living the past few days at double speed. The universe seemed out of kilter and in order to restore balance my life slowed down for the next month. I didn't approach Edward to speak to him. It was strange; like we had both taken a silent pact to never acknowledge each other again. My ankle took forever to heal and I was sure Edward winced at me when he passed by me limping pathetically to class. He probably felt guilty about seeing me in such a sorry state and I wanted to tell him that he didn't need to feel bad, that it was my fault not his, but I couldn't bring myself to talk to him. I was a coward. I should have opened my mouth instead of letting him shoulder the blame. Even Tyler came up to me to apologise for his wayward driving, why couldn't I do the same?

That day had repercussions for Angela too. Her show of kindness that day had apparently tipped Lauren over the edge and she was now persona non grata to Lauren's circle of friends. I had witnessed it myself in the cafeteria. Angela had gone to put her lunch tray down at the table when Lauren indicated the seat was taken. She tossed her long blonde hair which must be high school code for _'disappear already' _and with that Angela found herself banished from the rest of group.

It was completely unfair and I felt awful that Angela had been effectively ousted from her popular status but Angela didn't seem to mind. In fact, she seemed quite glad to be cut loose from Lauren's group. She knew that confronting Lauren was a lost cause.

Angela was now free to join me in the social wilderness. She took it in her stride and didn't let it get her down although it must have hurt on some level. She had a crush on Eric, a guy who was still a part of Lauren's circle. He was a quiet, reserved type; a math geek with thick black glasses which was the nearest this place got to hipster chic. He seemed nice and I assured Angela that she still had a chance with him. I told her we would devise a cunning plan of some sort to get him to fall in love with her. What that plan was I had no idea, but it cheered Angela up to have that glimmer of hope.

Life at home with Charlie was pretty much the same. I was following the Rules and wearing my red cloak and sticking to my curfew. It was too cold to wander through the woods to get to the nearest grocery store like I usually did so Charlie had allowed me to drive instead which was a big help. My cooking became more adventurous and I tried out a recipe that Renee's old yoga instructor had taught us when Renee when through her yoga phase. It was a spicy chicken curry with chickpeas and white rice. I had to drive to the large grocery store further out of town to get the right ingredients but I made it back in time for curfew. I wasn't sure if Charlie would like it because I knew his palate didn't usually stretch across continents but after an initial timid bite, he found he enjoyed it to his own surprise.

Household chores also helped to keep those pesky, annoying questions from my mind that had everything to do with Edward. I'd come to terms with the fact that I would never find out if he had been involved with the expulsion of those bullies. It would remain a mystery just like Edward who was still an enigmatic presence who intrigued me from afar. But that door was shut to me permanently… I knew that. We had chosen our separate ways but it didn't stop me from hoping every now and then.

That didn't stop me from interacting with his sister, Alice, though as I found out one school afternoon. I had ventured into the girls' bathroom to find Alice crying behind the locked door of one the toilet cubicles. No one else was around and I could have simply walked back out and pretended not to have heard anything but a nagging sense of duty compelled to me to knock and ask: "are you okay in there?"

"no." came the reply. I recognised Alice's voice immediately. She sounded childlike and small.

"Alice? It's me, Bella."

There was a pause. I could almost count the beats it took for Alice to remember me.

"Red? We… took you… to the hospital. I drove your truck."

I leaned my cheek against the bathroom stall door with its cream peeling paint, and smiled as I was reminded of Alice's glee when driving my truck. "Yeah, that's me. Do you want to open the door?" I asked in a gentle tone.

"no." she said, "I'm… too… ashamed." She said, between loud sobs.

_I was not expecting that as an answer. _

For a split second I was flustered. This sounded like a delicate situation and I had to be careful not to upset Alice who was already distraught. I was not a people person so this was not coming naturally to me but, damn it, I was just going to have to wing it.

"Alice, do you want to tell me what happened?"

"I can't."

"Why?" My imagination ran wild with a multitude of worst case scenarios. "Did someone do something to you?"

"Yes."

A lump of dread sank to the pit of my stomach. Alice was so petite and fragile-looking. She could easily be taken advantage of by some knuckle-dragging brute of a football jock. I almost didn't want to ask the next question but I felt like I had been sucked too far into this conversation to bail out now. "What did they do to you, Alice?"

"I… got kicked off… the cheerleading team by the coach."

_Wow_… _okay, then._

"Do you wanna open the door? I mean, you can't stay in the girls' bathroom all night, can you?" I glanced at my watch anxiously.

"I could try."

"I don't think that's a good idea and I think deep down you know that too."

"Yeah… I suppose so." She said, reluctantly.

"Come out, then."

I took a step back as I heard the metal lock slide open. Alice emerged from the bathroom stall. Her eyes were red and puffy and her hair was dishelleved, her petite figure swamped in the loose sweatpants and hoodie she was wearing – presumably her cheerleading practice clothes.

She glanced at the mirror on the wall opposite to her. "This is the worst I've ever looked."

Even in her disheleeved state and sweatpants, Alice beat every other girl hands down in the looks department. I couldn't even imagine what it was like to be that beautiful. "Here, let me get some tissue for your eyes," I said, walking into the toilet cubicle to get a wad of toilet roll and handing it to her. I wanted to know why the coach had taken Alice off the cheerleading team but I wasn't sure if I should dare ask the question.

She dabbed at the streak of smudged black eyeliner underneath her eyes. "I hate crying. Why does it have to be so messy? Water leaking all over your face – it's just gross."

I smiled despite myself. "I'd never thought of it that way. There are many theories as to why human beings cry. Some say it's an evolutionary thing – we cry and people come to our aid. A kind of signal of help developed before we could speak."

She looked at me with sudden interest.

"Sorry, that's my inner nerd talking." I apologised, looking down at the floor.

"No – don't apologise. You're smart. You shouldn't hide that." She stated. "I've seen you in the library a few times. You hang out with Angela, right?"

"Yeah. We're friends."

"That's cool. I like Angela. She's nice."

"Yeah, I know." I said, looking up with a smile.

Alice smoothed down her hair. "I think I should like to get to know you better. Can you give me a lift home? I was supposed to travel home with a girl on the cheer team but I don't feel like going with her now."

I looked my watch. I had enough time to get home at a reasonable time if Alice didn't live too far out from me.

"Don't worry, it's not far and you'll get home in time." she reassured me, sensing my time issues.

I still wasn't sure whether be doing this. I didn't really know Alice that well. She seemed well meaning but also a little kooky. Was she just curious about the girl in the red cloak?

Despite my scepticism, I had no other objections to make so I only had one choice in the end. "I guess I'm taking you home then," I said, with a weary smile.

The weather was cold and the sky had darkened, turning the landscape dull and grey as I drove Alice home. It turned out that Alice lived further out than I did. We were driving along a long main road with tall green conifers lining each side. Conversation was pretty much one sided. Alice chatted a lot about school. I got the impression that she found school amusing with a '_been there, done that_' attitude. She found all her classes quite dull even though she was in all advanced ones. I felt a little like that myself. She also talked about her clique of friends. The social aspect of school was much more appealing to her. She liked being surrounded by friends and socialising with everyone. It was almost as if she had never been so popular before which seemed hard to believe.

"Do you keep in touch with your old school friends?" I asked.

She paused a moment. "Not really. I mean to say, I didn't have many friends at my last school."

"Oh?"

"Edward and I kept to ourselves pretty much. It wasn't intentional. It wasn't like we wanted to be treated like outcasts," she glanced at me and added, "not that there's anything wrong with that."

"Sure."

"So people kept their distance and that suited us fine."

"Do you find Forks High better then?"

"Oh yes! Very much so." She said eagerly. "I feel like a different person here. Having friends makes school much easier to tolerate. Don't you think so?"

"Well, I don't think I'm operating in the same social circles as you but yeah, I think having friends makes school a little more enjoyable."

"Well, we're friends now, yes?"

"Erm. I guess." I thought about the rest of her clique, wondering how Jessica would take to the news that I was becoming friends with Alice.

"Well, that's just fabulous. I always knew we'd be friends." She nodded to herself. "Hey, what's that in the road?"

"What?" I quickly scanned the black tarmac and saw a dark lump in the middle of the road ahead. "Huh. That's weird." I pressed my foot on the brakes.

"Could be a racoon or something." said Alice, leaning forward in her seat towards the windshield that was blurring with falling drops of rain. I turned on my windshield wipers.

I shook my head. "Nah. It looks too big to be raccoon."

"We should move it out of the way. Whatever it is – I don't want it to get super squished. Road kill pancakes make me sad."

I didn't relish the idea of dragging a dead animal carcass across the road (even worse a flattened one) but Alice was with me and I hoped she would have a stronger stomach for this kind of thing than me. I pulled over to one side and switched the engine off. We both got out the truck and approached the lifeless animal. I stopped where I was when I realised what we were looking at.

"Is that… someone's dog?" I asked Alice.

"yep." She replied.

"Some asshole ran over a dog and left it to die in the road?"

"No." Alice held no fear as she bent down to take a closer look. "I don't think it died from being run over…"

"Well, it obviously didn't just meander into the middle of the road and lie down and die, did it?"

"Can't you see there's a slash mark on its neck?" she waved her arm to shoo away a buzzing fly before pointing to the dog's collar. "See?"

I took a couple of steps nearer to see a small pool of blood by Alice's feet. I swallowed hard when I noticed the dead dog's pink tongue lolling out of its mouth. The thick brown fur was matted and dark from the congealed blood along its collar.

"Do dead things frighten you, Red?" Alice asked innocently.

"Heck no!" I protested a little too vehemently. Alice looked sceptical. "This gives me the creeps though. This dog was pretty much slaughtered and left to die in the road. That's sick. Like, really disturbing." I pulled my cloak tighter around myself as I shivered in the rain. I just wanted to run back to my truck and get home as soon as possible. "Who would do something like this, Alice?"

"I don't know, Red," she gently stroked the dog's fur as if it could still feel her delicate touch, "but I'm a firm believer in karma." Alice narrowed her eyes, "where no bad deed goes unpunished."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So it's become clear to me that the fandom has cooled on all things Twilight. it's a bummer for ff writers like me. **  
><strong>I spent so long on this concept and story I appear to have missed the boat! I don't have the next chapter written. I want to spice things up with an Edward POV but I don't know... I might take raincheck for now. <strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Isn't it time we heard what Edward has to say?**

* * *

><p>EPOV<p>

_I slowly pushed open the heavy wooden doors and gingerly stepped inside. The night air had a cool bite to it and the wind massaged my hair until I carefully closed the door behind me. I pulled out a silver lighter from my grey coat pocket and clicked it once, giving me light. I was inside a large, ornately decorated church. There were gilded gold flourishes everywhere I looked; winding around the pillars, along the high arches, on the religious icons. I loved the drama of gothic architecture. Esme had instilled an appreciation in me for architecture and interior design. But I wasn't here to admire the surroundings. My eyes were focused on only one thing. _

_I purposefully strode up the aisle, holding my lighter aloft. I stared straight ahead at my target while the statues of dead saints gazed down upon me with kind, benevolent eyes. _

_I could feel the anger building up inside me. Poison flowed through my veins. I stopped in front of the altar and looked up at the large, wooden crucifix. I didn't bother to kneel or cross myself. Such petty formalities were the least of my concerns. I stood defiantly before the carved figure hanging lifelessly in the centre of the cross._

"_I've asked for help so many times. When will you finally answer me?"_

_There was no reply. _

"_Do soulless creatures not deserve a life too?"_

_His eyes were downcast, avoiding my angry stare. _

"_Even the devil was an angel once. Is there no redemption for me? Or am I damned for all eternity?" my voice shook slightly on the last word. The idea of eternity filled me with horror and despair. Who could possibly want to live on Earth forever? This was not heaven I was in. It was hell. _

"_Why have you forsaken me?"_

_His expression was impassive and unknowable. It only sought to infuriate me even more. _

"_WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?" my voice echoed loudly in the cavernous space. _

_A hand touched me on the shoulder. I felt his words brush the inside of my mind before I turned to look at him. _

"_Son, that's enough."_

_Carlisle's face shone like an opal as my lighter illuminated his ever youthful face. He opened his arms to embrace me but I retreated from him. _

"_Edward, you are allowing your anger to overpower you. You must learn to control yourself."  
><em>

"_I can't." I replied hopelessly. "I don't know how." _

"_I can help you, son." he said, his eyes glowing with compassion. For Carlisle this existence was as easy as breathing. It must be my fault to make everything so difficult. _

_This wasn't the first time I had done this. It was an unofficial hobby of mine; breaking and entering into churches. The rules were simple: don't get caught. I didn't target a particular denomination. It could be an Anglican church, Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox... I wasn't fussy about it. I always broke in at night, the darkness and quiet worked in my favour. Once inside, I let out my feelings of rage and despair like a howling ghoul. Some people get their kicks base jumping or free running. I liked breaking into churches to rage against the system. Does that sound blasphemous to you? _

_I don't mean to be. But damned creatures don't exactly make the best Christians. No matter what Carlisle says. He knew what I was doing. He assumed it was a phase I was going through. Giving up human blood is a difficult transition for anyone. Did you notice I'm not saying the V-word? I'm trying to be coy about it but it's the elephant in the room that no one can speak of. Least of all me. I am filled with self-loathing. I am thoroughly disgusted with myself. Does it disgust you also? It should. I could work out how to snap your neck and drain you in less than a minute. And you would let me with a grin on your face because you don't even know that you're prey._

_Carlisle is an eternal optimist. I think he was born that way. Me? I won't hold my breath. I'll carry on with my little hobby. I hugged Carlisle and we walked out of the church. I hoped against hope that I could leave my misery behind but I knew it wouldn't happen. The anger and pain weighed heavy on me. I carried it everywhere with me. My own personal cross to bear._

* * *

><p>I sat bolt upright in my bed. I was out of breath and disoriented. I felt a sense of panic and relief. Relief that I'd woken up and panic about what I'd just been dreaming.<p>

It was a first time I had dreamt about Bella.

I hadn't had a decent night's sleep in Forks since I'd been here. The act of sleeping had been lost on me for an entire century. It wasn't rocket science. Newborn babies could do it and yet I found myself entirely at odds with the process. Alice had managed just fine. She slept deeply and always emerged from her chambers with spring in her step. "It's just like riding a bike," she said smugly, "you never forget."

Well, I had obviously forgotten. My sleep came in fits and starts. I tossed and turned on my bed. I once fell onto the floor in a tangle of sheets. I tried a variety of methods to help me get some sleep. There were long hot baths in tub, warm milky drinks, soothing music. It was all rather pleasant but nothing helped me to sleep comfortably through the night. Until now.

Bella Swan.

Such an ordinary plain looking girl. How could I ever been drawn to her? And yet, here I was in my bed, still recovering from the most delicious dream. I was both thrilled and frightened. I had never felt like this about anyone before. Was my imagination playing tricks on me? Or was I denying an attraction that was now manifesting itself in my dreams?

I couldn't remember exactly how the dream had started but it was blur of fiction and truth. I was in the home of the Denali clan in Alaska. I was in their guest bedroom standing by the antique dresser. Tanya suddenly appeared in the room. Her lithe movements reminded me of a panther. She always seemed ready to pounce. In one quick motion, she was kneeling before me, hastily undoing my jeans zipper.

I was not going to let this happen. I grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and pulled her up, ready to chastise her. I expected to see Tanya smirking at me, flashing her amber eyes as if this was perfectly acceptable behaviour. Instead I found myself staring into a pair of deep brown eyes set in a pale, heart-shaped face. She was gazing at me with an impish grin. My anger immediately melted. I wanted this. I wanted her. I woke up.

Bella was literally the girl of my dreams.

I dove back under the sheets and screwed my eyes shut, hoping to pick up where the dream had left off. Sadly, the dream had escaped like air through an open window. Trying to recapture it was useless. I sat up again, slumped forward in defeat. All that remained was the body heat that tingled through my body. I could have sworn my stomach was being stoked with hot coals like a steam train engine. The hormonal surges of an adolescent boy were completely alien to me. I had never felt like this before and I wasn't sure if I liked it.

Truthfully, I did feel a little guilty and ashamed about the carnal desire Bella Swan had sparked in me. A girl giving you head was hardly a ritual of courtship, was it? Then again, my driver's licence said I was seventeen years old so it was probably fortunate that I acted like it. I had all the innocence of a young virgin. A fact that Emmett and jasper liked to remind me of constantly. That's not to say I was bereft of experience. That would be where Tanya came into the picture.

With her long, strawberry blonde hair and vampish demeanour, Tanya had sought to make me her mate. The Denali clan were a 'vegetarian' coven just like us and we used to spend vacations at their Alaskan residence. We enjoyed their company and it was nice to be around others who practiced our lifestyle. I played the piano for them and Jasper would take out his guitar to sing songs on dark wintry nights at their home. Tanya would always be hovering nearby, sometimes joining me on the piano stool to sing while I accompanied her on the piano. It made me uncomfortable after a little while when I began to hear Carlisle and Esme's thoughts on how good we looked together as a couple.

Tanya didn't seem to show any indication that she felt romantically inclined towards me. But then, someone's outward behaviour doesn't always reflect their internal monologue. Foolishly, I had taken Tanya's behaviour to be that of a friendly companion and nothing more. Her thoughts at the time didn't betray her true feelings.

We slowly began to spend more time together. Irina and Kate seemed to conveniently disappear leaving the two of us alone to go racing huskies or snowboarding.

On one occasion - my first act of stupidity – I had gone ice fishing with Tanya. I had dug a hole out of the ice while Tanya untangled the fishing gear.

"How deep do you reckon the lake is?" she said, peering into the circle of dark blue water.

"Pretty deep," I said, picking up my fishing rod. "I'd guess nine hundred feet or so."

She nodded thoughtfully. "I could touch the bottom of the lake and swim up to the surface in less than half a minute."

"Impossible!" I scoffed. "The eight layers of clothes would slow you down for a start."

She raised her eyebrows and shrugged off her thick duvet-like overcoat. "Is that a challenge, Edward?"

"No, I'm simply stating a fact, Tanya."

She kicked off her fur boots. "Well, if I can't do it. Then you _definitely_ wouldn't be able to do any better. We both know who the better swimmer is."

"Yes, we do but I'll save you the embarrassment from having to admit it's me," I replied, with a grin.

"You're all talk, Cullen. You need to produce the goods." She said, tugging her sweater over her head.

I knew she was pushing my buttons to get a response but it all seemed quite harmless and fun. I began to strip off my clothes.

"Oh, it's on like Donkey Kong! And you're going down." Tanya smiled at me.

Soon, I was stood in my boxer shorts in minus degree weather while Tanya faced me wearing nothing but her coral pink bra and panties which offset her strawberry blonde curls and snow white skin. There was no one around for miles and I had no qualms about taking off my underwear and swimming naked – I didn't really want to traipse back to the house wearing soggy boxer shorts – but it seemed impolite to do so in front of a young woman.

Her eyes raked over my body. "If you took off your boxers, it would make you more streamline," she suggested, biting her cherry red lip.

"It's okay, I'll keep them on. My natural swimming ability is more than enough."

She shrugged. "Just trying to help…"

She sat down on the inside edge of the ice fishing hole, her legs dangling in the freezing water. I joined her.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Good luck, Tanya," I replied.

"Thanks but I won't need it,"

"Fine. Three… two… one… go!"

Tanya effortlessly cut through the water like a darting eel. I was lagging behind her by about half a second. We frightened all the fish away and the view became murkier as we reached the bottom of the lake. I put out my hand to touch the gravel and rolled forward repositioning myself to swim up to the surface with a strong kick. Tanya lost her advantage by displacing the gravel and sand which billowed up around her like a cloud of smoke, confusing her sense of direction.

She recovered quickly though and soon we were now neck and neck in a race to the finish. Tanya bumped her limbs against mine and we might have collided together completely but I kept focused on the small circle of light in the thick ice that shone above us.

I broke the surface of water triumphantly and hauled myself out onto the ice.

"I guess it's been settled, then." I said, "You swam valiantly though," I put my dripping wet hand out to shake hers.

She slapped my hand away. "I want a re-match."

I thought she was being a sore loser about the whole thing but that was my second act of stupidity. I hadn't realised that she would get her re-match…

As the days passed and we continued to spend time together, Carlisle decided to pull me aside for a chat. He told me that I seemed to enjoy Tanya's company and perhaps I should think of her as a companion rather than just a friend. I told him he was reading the situation wrong. We were just friends, that's all. Nothing romantic about it.

"Maybe you should consider the possibility, son. If you just gave it a chance, I think Tanya would respond to you positively."

"I've read her mind, Carlisle. She feels nothing for me." I said, dismissively.

"A woman's heart is full of all kinds of hidden secrets, Edward."

I knew that Carlisle wanted desperately for me to settle down. He still felt bad that Rose hadn't become my life companion. I was depressed and angry, still breaking into churches whenever my mood compelled me and Carlisle thought a companion would resolve all my issues. Apparently, love was the cure for all my ills.

In the late evening, I retired to my bedroom to catch up on some reading. I was staying on the uppermost floor of the Denali's spacious house. I reclined on the bed with a book in one hand. I was reading Shakespeare's Sonnets which Alice had given me as a present from her trip to England. She said she felt that I was connected to the poetry somehow. I was flipping through the pages when I heard the tiny creak of a floorboard that was coming from the landing. A tiny mouse perhaps? The floorboard creaked again.

_Someone's there, _I thought. _Someone who is trying hard not to be heard. How curious. _

Within a second, my door was flung open and I was pinned up against the wall by the strawberry blonde hurricane known as Tanya. Her eyes flashed like bright gold coins at me. We had planned to go hunting together but it was obvious from her eyes that she had fed herself secretly giving her the advantage in terms of strength. Curiously, she still had a hungry look in her eyes.

I was still too bewildered to comprehend what was going on. I couldn't decipher Tanya's thoughts – she was speaking in an obscure Indian dialect that I didn't know. Her actions soon became clear when she smiled and crouched down in front of me, frantically unbuckling my belt and undoing my zipper. I grabbed her shoulders and we tussled briefly as I tried to push her away from me. She seemed to be stuck to me like glue.

"Damn it, Tanya, get off me!"

No sooner had I spoken the words, did I feel a moist warmth enclosing around my most private part. I gasped for air and cried out in shock. I looked down at Tanya who was gazing up at me intently.

_Don't fight it_, _we both want this_, she told me, finally using English instead of the Indian dialect. She could have said the words but her tongue seemed to be rather busy.

_Oh God! _

Part of me didn't want to fight it but did I truly want this? Tanya was not my life companion. I felt nothing for her in a romantic sense. Should I use her like this for my own personal gratification? It seemed to me that Tanya didn't care much either way. She was determined to have me in any way she could.

I reached down to Tanya's shoulders which were shaking slightly from bobbing her head and slurping noisily. I got a firm grip and with every ounce of strength in my body I threw her across the room, her body sailing through the air like a ragdoll. Her cherry red lips mouthed the word 'Oh' as she smashed through the wall and fell three floors to the snow covered ground.

I zipped up my pants and walked over to the gaping hole in the wall. I peered over and saw Tanya lying on the ground, cackling to herself like it was the funniest thing in the world.

Carlisle was the first to come rushing into my room. "What in God's name happened?"

"Just a silly game," I shrugged.

We left soon after and the incident was never mentioned again. Although, Emmett and Jasper decided to christen Tanya with an unfortunate nickname.

In our household, she became known as the 'Cockgobbler'.

I went to school with the intent of observing Bella. I had been ignoring her for a while now. I had taken my cue from Bella herself. She had ignored me ever since I had waited for her at the hospital where Carlisle attended to her twisted ankle. She obviously did not want to speak to me and even though I dearly wanted to apologise for what had transpired I thought it best to leave it. She probably regretted twisting her ankle just to push me out the way of that stupid van. She should have known I wasn't really worth saving. I cursed myself for not having seen the van in the nick of time. I wasn't very good at being human…

I had to endure Lauren wittering in my ear like an annoying fly I couldn't swat away, just to glimpse Bella at lunch time. Spending time with Lauren and her gang was form of punishment I'd earned in my previous life. Karma had come to get me. Karma was a bitch.

Alice enjoyed the company of the popular kids. It was like a novelty to her. She wanted to play the role. She wanted to be Molly Ringwald from every John Hughes movie ever made. We had never been the popular kids at any school we'd attended but this time things were different. No one was afraid of us anymore. We blended in. The novelty wore off quickly for me but for Alice's sake I tolerated it.

"My cousin's neighbour lost their dog and it was found several miles away near the border to La Push," said a girl, whose name I didn't know, sat at our lunch table.

"What happened?" asked Jessica.

The girl paused for dramatic effect. "It was found… dead!"

Jessica let out a squeal. "Oh my God, that's awful!"

"I bet those kids from La Push did it," said Lauren, with a flick of her long, blonde hair. "They're trouble."

"Maybe… " said the girl, looking unconvinced and slightly uncomfortable by the implied racism that Native American kids were 'trouble'.

"That's so weird," said Alice. "I found a dead dog on the road yesterday. I don't know how it got there."

I looked up sharply at Alice. This was new information. How come she had never told me this?

"I think there have been a few dogs that have gone missing," said the girl.

"Maybe someone has been kidnapping people's dogs," suggested Jessica.

"Dognapping, you mean," Lauren corrected her. "There are criminals who do that."

"But criminals sell the dogs on to new owners in another area. It wouldn't make sense to take someone's dog and then kill it. There has to be another motive." I said.

Everyone at the table turned in unison to stare at me in surprise. Mike held a peeled orange segment to his open mouth while looking on in disbelief.

"Oh, you're so right, Edward," said Lauren, leaning towards me and smiling widely. "It's not about the money. I bet those La Push kids…"

My mind quickly switched off as I glared at Alice. She was ignoring my stare but I knew she could feel it slicing into her like knives. We were going to have stern words about this on the way home. I looked away to Bella's table but she was gone already.

The rest of the day passed by and I still hadn't seen Bella. I don't know why but it felt important to look at her. I wanted to know if my feelings were just a dream or if it was something real. I spotted Angela in the corridor and instinctively began to track her. She was headed to the library. I skipped my English class to follow her in. I hovered by some bookshelves when a patch of bright red caught my eye. I glanced over and saw Angela sitting down with Bella who was already at a desk with textbooks sprawled over it. She had a pencil tucked behind one ear.

I pulled some books from a nearby shelf and carried them to a desk just out of sight. I watched Bella talk animatedly with Angela. It was so odd. Like seeing an entirely different person. She seemed completely at ease with herself, laughing and talking with Angela. I felt deeply envious of Angela in that moment. _It should be me talking to Bella and making her laugh. Perhaps I should go over to them and talk to her?_

My heart thumped painfully in my chest. I clutched at my shirt and gasped for breath. The inside of my mouth was as dry as sand while my body began to sweat, in particular, the palms of my hands. _What in God's name was happening to me? _It felt like my body was conspiring against me. I took in a couple of deep breaths of stale library air (when was the last time anyone cracked open a window in here?) and tried not to panic.

Was this what it felt like to fall in love?

I couldn't wrap my head around it. Me? Fall in love? With a human?

Impossible.

I licked my lips thirstily.

Angela and Bella settled into their routine of studying quietly.

I needed to talk to someone urgently. Someone who could discuss this matter in a straight-forward way. I knew just the person.

"Why have you locked the door, Edward?" I heard Alice whine from outside my bedroom door.

"I need some privacy," I called out, scrolling through my cellphone contacts.

"I could break this door down, you know?" she replied petulantly.

"God, Alice. Do you know what the word 'privacy' means?"

"Of course I do."

"Well, respect it then!" Good grief, Alice was hard work sometimes.

I pressed the dial button on my phone and sat on the edge of my bed.

"S'up, bro?"

"Hey Emmett. How you been?"

"Not too shabby. Just playin' on the Xbox. How you enjoying Forks?"

"It's okay. Nothing to write home about, you know?"

"I hear ya, bro."

I paused, not knowing how to start the conversation. A rare case of getting tongue tied for me.

"What's on your mind, Eddie?" He asked, sensing my discomfort.

"Well… I don't know how to explain it…"

"Take your time, bro."

I leaned back on my bed and stared up at the white ceiling. It looked like a blank sheet of paper.

"Well, it's about a girl."

Emmett perked up immediately. "Uh oh. You got girl problems, already? You is a player, Edward,"

"Are you going to take this seriously or shall I ring up Jasper instead?"

"Hey, hey, calm down. I'm listening. So there's a girl?"

"Yes. She goes to my high school. Or rather I go to _her_ high school."

"What's her name?"

"Bella. Other kids call her 'Red' because she wears red all the time but I like the name Bella. It suits her."

"It's a cute name." he agreed.

"Yes, so anyway. I have observed this girl. I even saved her from some school bullies –"

"Way to go, Edward."

"Thanks. Anyway, I think I feel something for her. I saw her in the library today and I felt almost giddy with pleasure. I wanted to talk to her but I couldn't. For the first time I felt nervous."

"Wow that sounds like a real trip." Emmett said, sounding impressed that I had finally expressed feelings for someone. "So are ya gonna bang this chick or what?"

"Why yes, Emmett. That's exactly what I plan to do. Maybe you can advise me on what size club to hit her round the head with before dragging her back to my cave. Oh, that was sarcasm, by the way, in case you hadn't noticed."

Emmett chuckled on the other end of the line. "You don't say."

"Are you going to help me or what?" I snapped.

"I'm still reeling in shock that you're digging on a chick. She must be something real special."

"She is." I sighed.

"Tell me more."

"Well, she's tough. She punched a female student at school."

Emmett let out a long whistle. "Dang, that's hardcore. Does she have rage issues or something?"

"No. As I understand it the student, an insipid creature called Lauren, was making derogatory remarks about Bella's father. Bella is very close to her father and I think she just snapped. Perfectly understandable behaviour when put in context. She's not violent by nature."

"Okay when you explain it like that it makes sense. What is she like normally then?"

"To be honest I'm not really sure…" the realisation hit me that I didn't really know her although it felt like I did. "She seems quite sweet. I worry about her vulnerability. She was reluctant to tell the school about the bullying incident."

"Why?"

"She was worried about her father finding out."

"So she just left things as they were?"

"Well, Alice and I decided to take care of matters and we got them expelled."

"Nice one, bro! This chick must be all over you right now!"

"Well, no exactly. She doesn't know that I had anything to do with it."

"Um, but that's the ace in your sleeve, dude. Why you keeping shit like that on the downlow? You were her knight in shining armour. If she knew about it she would be riding you harder than the winner of the Kentucky Derby right now."

"Emmett!" It was an unfortunate fact that Emmett had picked up on the crude and graphic language that flowed through the hip hop records in his record collection.

"Hey, this is real talk, Edward. Now let me be straight with you."

"Please do."

"You're a good looking guy, okay? In fact, I'd say from a chick's point of view, you're pretty hot. If I was a high school girl, I'd be creaming my panties every time I saw you –"

"You think I'm attractive, I get it!" I interrupted before he could finish the sentence. "And your point is?"

"The point is you gotta talk to Bella. Take her out for a coffee or something. Find out if you share similar interests. Then, you'll know if you really like this chick."

I considered his advice. "That actually makes sense. Does it matter that she's human and I'm…"

"Nah. You're not asking for her hand in marriage or anything. Just take it slow and have fun."

"I will, Emmett. Thanks for the advice."

"No problem, Edward. I always got your back."

I gazed out the window at the bright blue sky. It was shining with possibilities and renewed purpose. I was going to become friends with Bella and perhaps something more...

* * *

><p><strong>I'm not going to plead for reviews anymore. <strong>

**I much prefer to take your silence as tacit approval of everything that I do. **


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